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Baptist  Chukch  and  Sunday  School  Room,   1S95. 


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A  PASTOR'S  25TH    (*"'  ^ov  "s  mo  '^ 

.A 
-AND- 


A  CHURCH'S  150TH  ANNIVERSARY, 


Rev.  Owen  P,  Eaches,  D,  D, 


PnSTOR.  1870-1895. 


MAY  29th  AND  JUNE  2nd,   1895. 


THE  HIGHTSTOWN  BRPTIST  CHURCH, 

1745-1895. 

NOVEMBER   ist  and  3rd,    1895. 

BY   THE  COMMITTEE. 


CRANBURY,  N.  J.  ; 
G.  W,  BUKROUOHS,  Book  ano  Job  Printkk. 


The  Celebration  of  the 
TT  we  nty- Fifth    Anniversary 

OF  THE  PASTORATE  OF 

REV.  O.  P.  EACHES,  D.  D. 


Early  in  May,  1895,  the  Trustees  and  Deacons  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church  at  Hightstown,  resolved  to  celebrate  the  Twenty-fifth  Anni- 
versary of  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Owen  P.  Eaches,  D.  D.,  and  ap- 
pointed as  a  committee  of  arrangement  and  reception  Rev.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  G.  W.  Clark,  Rev.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  J.  E.  Perry,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J. 
E.  Allen,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  D.  Chamberlin,  Mrs.  M.  M.  Job  and  Miss 
A.  N.  Silvers.  It  was  arranged  to  celebrate  on  Wednesday,  May  29 
and  Sunday,  June  2. 

Wednesday  was  a  beautiful  day,  and  at  11  A.  m.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Eaches  and  family  were  driven  in  a  carriage  to  the  church  into  which 
they  were  escorted  by  the  committee. 

Standing  near  the  pulpit  Dr.  Eaches  and  wife  received  the  greet- 
ings and  congratulations  of  their  many  friends  for  nearly  an  hour. 
The  guests  were  brought  forward  by  the  ushers.  Miss  Annie  F.  Job, 
Miss  Belle  Chamberlin,  Miss  Bertha  R.  Clark,  Miss  Grace  Clevenger, 
Miss  Ida  Hoagland,  Mrs.  N.  C.  Schlottman,  and  Mi.ss  Sadie  Ayers. 

At  twelve  o'clock  all  were  invited  to  the  chapel,  where  the  ladies 
of  the  church  had  prepared  a  substantial  dinner  which  was  enjoyed 
by  about  five  hundred.  At  two  o'clock  the  people  returned  to  the 
church  where  the  more  formal  exercises  of  the  day  were  held  accord- 
ing to  the  foil  )wiiig  program  : 


PROGRAM. 

Anthem Choir. 

Scripture  Reading Rev.  E.  G.  Mason,  of  Hightstown. 

Prayer Rev.  J.  L   Howard,  of  Hightstown. 

Hymn  (Coronation) "  All  Hail  the  Power  of  Jesus  Name." 

Introductory  Remarks  .    .    .   Dr.  J.  E.  Perry,  of  Peddie  Institute. 

Resolutions J.  E.  Allen. 

Reading  of  Letters Dr.  Perry. 

A  Twenty-Five  Year's  Pastorate. 
Its  Meaning: 

(a)  To  the  Church    .    .   Rev.  W.  \V.  Case,  of  West  Hoboken 

(b)  "        Association.    .    .    .  Rev.  J.  Conkling,  of  Trenton. 
(ci         "       State Rev.  D.  DeWolf,  of  Newark. 

Solo Miss  Luella  Chamberlin. 

(d)  To  the  Community  .  Rev.  T.  B.  Appleget,  of  Hightstown. 
Fraternal  Greetings   ....    Dr.  Thomas  Tyack,  of  Hightstown. 

Solo Mr.  B.  P.  Stout,  of  Philadelphia. 

Reminiscence Rev.  M.  N.  Smith,  of  Marlboro. 

Congratulations  .    .    .  Rev.  W.  T.  Galloway,  of  Hamilton  Square. 
"What  Makes  a  Twenty-Five  Years'  Pastorate  Possible." 

Dr.  G.W.Clark,  of  Hightstown. 

"  Retrospect  and  Prospect"        .    .  T.  S.  Griffith,  of  Penn's  Neck. 

Presentation  of  Gifts \    Jj'  ^'^''^• 

(    Dr.  Perry. 

Remarks  . O.  P.  Eaches. 

Benediction 


The  .stenographic  report  of  the  afternoon's  proceedings  and  addresses  was  taken  by  Miss 
Carrie  M.  Smith,  of  Hightstown. 

The  meeting  was  in  charge  of  Rev.  J.  E.  Perry,  Ph.  D.,  principal 
of  Peddie  Institute.  After  an  anthem  by  a  choir  of  thirty  voices, 
with  Mr.  D.  P.  Hoagland  at  the  organ,  scripture  .selections  were  read 
by  Rev.  E.  G.  Ma.son,  and  prayer  offered  by  Rev.  J.  L.  Howard,  and 
Coronation,  "  All  Hail  the  Power  of  Jesus  Name,"  was  sung  by  the 
choir  and  congregation.  Dr.  Perr}'  then  made  the  following  open- 
ing remarks  : 

The  highest  privilege  that  has  been  conferred  upon  me  since  I  have  come 
to  Hightstown  is  to  preside  at  this  anniversary  which  we  are  to  com- 
memorate to  da}-. 

This  church  has  had  an  over  shepherd  for  twenty-five  years.     It  is  a  re- 


freshing  experience  to  have  our  pastor  to  day  where  he  has  us — most  of 
us — every  Sunday,  and  my  prayer  now  is,  that  there  shall  come  from  this 
platform  as  much  of  inspiration  and  good  cheer  and  helpfulness  both  to 
our  pastor  and  to  those  who  are  gathered  here,  as  come  to  our  hearts  and 
homes,  as  we  listen  to  him  Sunday  after  Sunday.  I  am  sure  if  there  comes 
to  his  heart  anything  like  what  has  come  to  our  hearts  through  his  min 
istration  from  this  pulpit,  we  shall  feel  like  rejoicing  in  the  Lord  for  this 
day. 

The  following  resolution,  adopted   by  the    Board  of  Trustees  and 

Deacons,  were  then  read  by  John  E.  Allen  : 

Twenty-five  years  ago  Rev.  O.  P.  Eaches  accepted  the  call  to  become 
pastor  of  our  church  At  that  time  the  Board  of  Trustees  consisted  of 
ten  members,  and  there  were  five  Deacons.  Now  there  are  fifteen  Trus- 
tees and  seven  Deacons,  three  Deaconesses  and  ten  assistants.  They  were 
faithful  and  true  men,  earnest  and  anxious  for  the  advancement  of  the 
Lord's  cause.  As  was  the  custom  of  many  churches  at  that  time,  the 
Trustees  and  Deacons  seldom  met  for  the  transaction  of  business.  Their 
work  had  to  be  planned  and  mainly  executed  by  the  pastor.  In  our  pas- 
tor they  found  a  wise  counsellor,  an  earnest  worker  and  a  most  efficient 
leader.  Under  his  faithful  administration,  with  the  loyal  co-operation  of 
the  church  and  her  officers,  the  temporal  and  financial  affairs  of  the  church 
were  wisel}'  adjusted,  and  the  spiritual  life  of  the  church  greatly  devel- 
oped. These  faithful  men  who  formed  the  Boards  in  the  early  years  of 
this  pastorate,  have  gone  to  their  reward.  We,  the  present  Trustees  and 
Deacons,  have  been  called  to  fill  their  places  and  carry  forward  the  work 
begun  by  them.  We  wish  to  record,  on  this  25th  anniversary,  our  grati- 
tude for  the  continuance  of  this  pastorate,  and  our  high  appreciation  of 
the  helpful  services  of  our  pastor.  In  the  discharge  of  the  duties  devolv- 
ing upon  us  as  officers  of  our  church,  we  have  been  patiently  instructed, 
wisely  led,  and  cheerfully  encouraged  to  every  good  work.  Some  of  us 
have  been  brought  into  the  Kingdom  of  our  Lord  by  his  instrumentality. 
His  preaching  has  been  a  clear  and  forcible  presentation  of  the  gospel  of 
Christ,  and  it  has  come  to  us,  not  in  words  only,  but  also  in  power  and  in 
the  Holy  Spirit.  We  have  all  felt  the  power  of  his  consecrated  life.  We 
know  the  happy  influence  of  his  ministry  in  our  homes.  As  officers  of 
this  church  we  cannot  express  the  feelings  of  our  hearts,  when  we  remem- 
ber his  brotherly  kindness  and  the  Christ-like  spirit  manifested  by  him 
in  conducting  all  the  affairs  of  our  church.  To  day,  as  we  stand  on  the 
summit  of  twenty-five  years  and  look  back  on  the  record  of  our  church  life, 
we  rejoice  in  the  Lord  for  His  goodness,  and  are  glad  for  what  He  has  done 
for  us.  Whatever  of  progress  and  growth  has  been  attained,  we  recognize 
the  guiding  hand  and  master  mind  and  Christian  spirit  of  our  pastor,  who 
has  been,  for  these  twenty-five  years,  a  pastor,  friend  and  brother.  May 
his  years  be  prolonged  and  his  work  established,  and  the  union  that  now 
exists  be  continued  many  years  to  the  edification  of  the  church  and  the 
glory  of  our  Lord  and  his  Christ. 

Dr.  Perry  then  read  a  number  of  letters  of  regret  and  congratula- 


tion  from  prominent  men.  Among  these  were  letters  from  Rev, 
Drs.  T.  E.  Vassar,  of  Kansas,  H.  L.  Waylancl.  of  Philadelphia,  A. 
J.  Rowland,  of  Philadelphia,  A.  G.  Lawson,  of  Camden,  J.  K. 
Manning,  of  Red  Bank  ;  Rev.  W.  W.  Bullock,  of  Allentown,  Rev. 
W.  E.  Cornwell,  of  Jacobstown  ;  Profes.sors  N.  L-  Andrews,  of  Col- 
gate, E.  H.  Johnson,  of  Crozer,  A.  H.  Strong,  of  Rochester, 
Enoch  Perrine,  of  Bucknell,  H.  J.  Pratt,  of  Massachusetts,  G.  M. 
Phillips,  of  Penn.sylvania,  and  others. 

Rev.  W.  W.  Ca.se,  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  West  Hoboken, 
N.  J.,  a  college  cla.ssmate,  and  for  man}-  years  past  a  fellow  pastor  in 
New  Jersey,  then  spoke  upon  "  What  a  twenty-five  years'  Pastorate 
means  to  the  Church,"  as  follows  : 

Mk.   CH.-^IRiMAN,    BkoTHKRS,   SiSTERS    AND    FRIENDS  : 

I  received  a  warning  note  the  other  day,  and  it  warned  me  that  I  should 
be  verv  careful  about  eulogi.stic  remarks.  I  won't  use  the  exact  phrase- 
ology that  was  used.  The  letter  was  written  in  the  well-known  and  diffi- 
cult-to-read chirography  of  the  pastor  of  this  church. 

But  I  should  like  to  know  about  these  letters  we  have  heard  read.  I 
could  not  speak  in  stronger  terms  than  these  letters  have  spoken,  but  I 
should  belie  mv  nature  and  all  the  feelings  of  my  heart  this  afternoon  if  I, 
as  a  college  class-mate,  as  a  fellow  New  Jersey  pastor,  as  a  personal 
friend,  as  one  who  loves  the  pastor  of  this  church  next  to  his  own 
brother,  did  I  not  speak  some  strong  words. 

I  congratulate  vou,  mv  dear  brothers  and  sisters  of  the  Hightstown 
Baptist  Church.  'l  remember  in  1S70,  before  I  settled  at  Hamilton  Square 
—and  I  settled  there  in  1S71— I  was  at  Hight.stown  visiting  this  pa.stor. 
I  remember  one  dav  when  we  were  sitting  on  the  porch  up  the  street  he 
said,  "The  Hightstown  field  is  a  delightful  field,"  and  I  do  not  believe 
that  there  has  been  any  change  in  his  feelings  since  twenty  five  years  ago, 
on  the  contrary.  I  believe  that  he  loves  this  church  a  great  deal  more 
to-day  than  he  did  then.     I  am  sure  of  it. 

I  congratulate  ray  dear  brother  and  his  wife  and  loved  ones  on  the  com- 
pletion of  this  twenty-five  years.  I  don't  wish  to  trench  upon  the  valua- 
ble time  of  the  dear  brethren  that  are  to  follow  me,  though  I  have  been 
alloted  five  minutes  more  than  they,  so  I  will  simply  speak  upon  the 
subject  suggested — "  What  a  tiuenty-five  years'  pastorate  mea?is  to  the 
chtirch  " — vvhich  I  will  divide  into  three  points  : 

First,  its  effect  on  the  home  life  :  It  means  identification  with  the  home 
life.  A  tree  that  has  been  growing  for  twenty-five  years  has  very  great 
identification  with  the  land  on  which  it  is  growing  and  the  roots  have 
gone  down  verv  deeply  into  the  earth.  Why.  I  remember  that  after  I 
went  from  Hamilton  Square  to  Holmdel  I  used  to  sit  in  my  study  at 
Holmdel  thinking  about   Hamilton   Square.     It   was  difficult   for  me  to 


divest  nij'self  of  the  thoughts  of  my  former  home.  There  have  been 
varied  scenes  in  this  church,  occasions  happy  and  sad.  There  have  been 
marriage  scenes  ;  there  have  been  funeral  occasions,  and  I  doubt  if  there 
are  many  homes  into  which  sadness  has  come,  that  have  not  been  visited 
by  this  pastor.  To  homes  of  sickness  he  has  brought  words  of  comfort 
and  consolation.  On  funeral  occasions  he  has  gone  with  a  loving  heart 
and  spoken  to  the  bereaved  family  and  loved  ones.  And  so  these  people 
have  become  identified  with  him  in  their  home  life  in  a  wonderful  way. 
There  have  been  new-born  souls,  there  have  been  baptisms,  there  have 
been  family  altars  established,  and  all  through  this  community  people 
are  identified  with  him  in  their  home  life. 

I  turn  next  to  the  young  people.  With  all  the  gravity  that  Bucknell 
University  conferred  upon  him,  when  it  added  a  D.  D.  to  his  name,  he 
has  never  forgotten  his  interest  in  the  young  people.  His  idea  has  always 
been  :  if  you  care  for  the  young,  you  build  up  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ 
for  the  future,  and  this  has  been  one  of  the  greatest  thoughts  of  his  heart. 
Most  of  the  young  people  have  not  known  any  other  pastor.  They  have 
spoken  of  Pastor  Eaches  ;  they  have  thought  of  him  ;  they  love  him.  He 
has  been  their  character-builder.  Have  you  ever  witnessed  a  sculptor 
working  awaj'  with  his  chisel,  or  many  chisels,  perhaps?  A  long  time  he 
was  engaged  in  the  work  of  fashioning  the  face  which  you  now  see.  So 
this  man  of  God  has  been  building  character  among  the  young  people  of 
this  congregation — little  by  little,  vSabbath  after  Sabbath,  through  the 
preaching  of  the  word — in  the  Sunday'  school,  in  the  training  class,  or 
wherever  he  has  met  them— he  has  been  doing  good  service  for  the  fash- 
ioning of  these  characters. 

And  now,  again,  this  twenty-five  3-ears  as  regards  social  life.  Dr. 
Eaches  has  believed  and  has  taught  during  these  twenty-five  j'ears  that 
while  the  great  object  of  the  church  is  the  cultivation  of  the  religious  life, 
the  social  life  is  not  to  be  neglected.  He  has  discouraged  vain  amuse- 
ment, but  he  has  encouraged  proper  amusement,  and  the  one  great  thought 
of  his  life  has  been  that  he  might  so  fill  the  minds  of  the  people  with  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  so  urge  them  to  work  for  Christ  that  they  would 
not  have  time  to  indulge  in  anything  that  would  be  improper.  He  and  I 
have  often  talked  on  this  subject  and  so  I  know  the  inner  feelings  of  his 
heart. 

There  have  been  times  of  discouragement  during  these  twenty-five  5-ears 
as  well  as  encouragement.  It  is  said  that  during  Dr.  Bangs'  ministry 
there  came  a  very  dark  period  in  his  life.  He  dreamed  that  he  was  upon 
the  top  of  a  rock  with  a  pick-axe,  and  that  he  was  picking  away  with  the 
axe.  After  hours  of  work  he  hardly  made  an  indentation  in  the  rock.  At 
last  he  became  discouraged.  "  I'll  give  it  up,"  he  said.  Just  then  a  per- 
son of  dignified  mien  came  along  and  said,  "  You  are  not  going  to  give 
up  this  work  ?  "  "  Yes,  sir,"  said  he.  "  Why  are  you  going  to  abandon 
it?"  "  Because  I  make  no  impression  on  the  rock."  "  Well,"  he  said, 
"  you  pick  away  at  the  rock  ;  j^our  work  is  to  pick  away."  And  so,  he 
went  to  work  again.  He  awoke  from  his  dream  and  knew  the  significance 
of  it.  As  he  passed  from  the  dream  he  imagined  that  he  had  superhuman 
force  and  so  went  to  work  earnestly  for  the  Master.     Soon  a  great  revival 


was  experienced.  Now,  this  man  of  God  has  had  some  experiences  of  dis- 
couragement and  yet  he  has  picked  away  and  God  has  given  him  some  ot 
the  grandest  revivals  that  have  been  experienced  in  Hightstown.  May 
God's  richest  blessings  be  upon  you,  my  dear  brother.  I  wish  that  many 
more  years  of  work  may  be  yours,  and  that  they  may  be  a  continued 
blessing  upon  all. 

Prof.  Perry  :     Rev.  Judson  Conklin,  of  Trenton,  will  now  tell  us 

what  "  A  twenty-five  years'  Pastorate  means  to  the  A.ssociation . " 

Mr.  Ch.airman  and  Friends  : 

I  have  had  the  pleasure  in  my  short  life  of  attending  a  silver  wedding 
anniversary,  but  this  is  the  first  silver  anniversary  of  a  pa.storate.  It  is  a 
most  delightful  occasion  and  I  am  glad  to  be  here,  and  I  bring  to  all  the 
membership  of  the  Hightstown  Baptist  Church  the  sincere  congratula- 
tions of  the  Clinton  Avenue  Baptist  Church  of  Trenton.  The  Deacons 
and  Trustees  have  united  with  me  in  this  for  you  all.  It  seems  to  me  that 
the  church  as  well  as  the  pastor  ought  to  haveour  congratulations  to-day  : 
for,  if  we  were  attending  a  wedding  anniversary  we  would  not  extend  all 
our  good  wishes  to  the  husband  and  leave  the  wife  alone.  So,  it  seems  to 
me  that  we  should  remember  the  church  also.  For  whatever  a  man  may 
be  at  the  head  of  the  church,  unless  the  church  has  rare  qualities,  such  an 
anniversarv  is  impossible.  I  think  that  these  anniversaries  are  wise 
things.  They  are  so  rare  we  cannot  afford  to  pass  them  by  in  silence.  I 
think  we  are  all  too  much  in  danger  of  leaving  the  good  things  that  we 
have  in  our  hearts  for  others,  until  they  are  gone.  Then  we  bring  our 
flowers  and  our  sympathies.  Dr.  Baldwin,  in  that  delightful  book  of  his, 
tells  the  storv  of  what  was  said  at  the  funeral  sermon  of  a  pastor  who  had 
been  laboring  for  over  thirty  years.  At  the  services  which  were  held  in 
the  church,  the  deceased  was  spoken  of  in  the  kindliest  way.  His  wife 
listened  to  it  all,  and  after  all  was  over  she  said,  "  Oh  !  if  some  of  these 
kind  words  had  been  spoken  to  my  husband,  how  they  would  have  com- 
forted him.  If  you  have  a  word  of  cheer,  speak  it  while  I  am  alive  to 
hear." 

What  does  it  mean  to  the  association  ?  It  means  a  great  deal.  In- 
directly, it  means  a  great  deal  because  of  the  lesson  which  such  a  pastor- 
ate brings.  This  is  a  restless,  shifting,  and  changeable  age.  When  I 
looked  over  the  ministers  of  the  association  I  found  to  my  surprise,  that 
I  was  the  second  oldest  settled  pastor  in  the  Trenton  association.  Yet,  it 
seems  to  me  that  I  have  just  begun  my  work.  I  suppose  that  while  we 
believe  that  a  long  pastorate  is  helpful,  we  yet  realize  that  some  short  pas- 
torates are  too  long.  But,  after  all,  it  is  a  wise  thing  that  these  biennial 
and  triennial  changes  are  not  necessary,  they  are  not  es.sential  to  the  well 
being  of  a  church.  On  the  contrary,  wherever  you  find  the  .strongest 
churches,  as  the  Hightstown  Baptist  Church,  the  Calvary  Church  of  Dr. 
MacArthur,  and  vSpurgeon's  Tabernacle  in  London,  you  will  find  that 
there  have  been  long  pastorates.  The  strongest  churches  are  those  that 
have  had  a  pastorate  of  eight  or  more  years.  The  influence  of  such  a 
pastorate  is  great. 


But,  directly  it  means  far  more.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  a  larger  min^ 
istry.  I  believe  that  every  true  man  of  God  should  have  regard  for  the 
community  in  which  he  lives.  It  is  in  the  association,  in  the  state  and 
throughout  the  wide  world,  it  seems  to  me,  that  the  pastor  and  the  church 
should  wield  an  influence  for  good.  First,  in  the  community  and  then 
in  the  other  widening  circles  around  it.  If  there  is  such  a  ministry  as 
this,  the  longer  a  man  stays  in  a  pastorate  the  better.  And,  brothers  and 
friends,  I  congratulate  you  that  in  Dr.  Eaches  you  have  a  man  of  wide- 
spread good  in  the  association.  Some  of  these  pastors  here  have  known 
Dr.  Eaches  longer  than  I  have  and  they  can  speak  better  than  I  can  con- 
cerning what  good  he  has  done  the  association.  I  pray  to-day  that  this 
pastorate  will  continue.  I  believe  that  which  has  been  read  by  the  Trus- 
tees came  from  the  heart,  unlike  the  man  who  wished  to  get  rid  of  his 
Irish  servant  and  to  that  end  gave  him  a  hearty  recommendation.  The 
servant,  after  reading  the  recommendation,  said,  '  I  guess  I'll  stay.'  I 
pray  that  God's  blessing  may  rest  upon  the  pastor  and  upon  all  the  mem- 
bers of  this  church,  and  may  we  all  be  here  to  see  his  50th  anniversary." 

Prof.  Perry  :        Rev.  D.  Dewolf,    of  Newark,     Superintendent    of 
Baptist   State    Missions,    will  now  speak  on    "The    Meaning  of  a 
Twenty-five  Years'  Pastorate  to  the  State." 
Mr.  Chairman,  Ladiks  and  Gkntlemen  : 

It  is  a  pleasure  for  me  personally  to  bring,  as  I  maj-  in  behalf  of  the 
State,  congratulations  to  this  meeting,  to  this  pastor  and  to  this  peo- 
ple. As  has  already  been  said,  I  feel  that  the  congratulations  should  be 
to  the  people  as  well  as  to  the  pastor,  for  I  realize  that  while  not  every 
pastor  can  stay  twenty-five  years  in  a  church,  I  also  know  very  well  that 
it  is  not  every  church  that  Dr.  Eaches  would  staj^  with  twenty-five  years. 
I  am  verj-  sure  of  that  and  so  while  3'ou  have  lived  these  twenty-five  years 
so  happily  and  so  usefully,  I  am  very  sure  that  it  has  been  a  union  formed 
in  Heaven — a  union  wherein  each  has  contributed  its  part  to  the  good 
work  done. 

My  subject  is  A  Twenty-five  Years'  Pastorate  ;  its  Meaning  for  the  State. 
I  asked  my  wife  the  other  day  "  What  does  a  twenty-five  years'  pastorate 
mean  to  the  State  anyway"  ?  She  said,  "That  depends  altogether  upon 
who  is  the  pastor."  I  have  known  of  twenty-five-year  pastorates  of  which 
the  eulogies  might  be  very  much  like  the  man  who  had  a  great  oppor- 
tunity for  a  funeral  sermon.  A  man  eighty-five  years  old  had  died,  and 
the  new  pastor  had  just  come.  The  friends  said,  "  Now  is  your  oppor- 
tunity— 85  years  old."  The  pastor  made  some  inquiries  about  the  man 
and  found  that  he  had  been  a  verj'  humble  man;  no  one  knew  him.  Still 
the  friends  said,  "  Now  is  your  opportunity',"  and  so  he  preached  a  great 
sermon  in  which  he  spoke  about  the  discovery  of  electricity,  steam  boats, 
railroad  trains  and  matters  of  history  and  ended  up  by  saying,  "these 
things  have  all  occurred  since  this  brother  was  born."  Well,  there  are  a 
few  such  twenty-five-year  pastorates.  Brother  Case  said  he  had  a  letter 
from  somebody.  He  told  me  about  the  letter  coming  down.  He  said, 
"  taffy."     Well,  now  when  there  is  such  an  occasion  as  this,  it  is  strange 


to  me  how  anybody  can  ^ct  throujjh  it  withont  taffy,  and  I  believe,  dear 
friends,  that  all  that  we  can  say  should  be  said. 

What  does  it  mean  to  the  State  ?  First  of  all,  a  protest  against  the  unrest 
that  there  is  in  churches  and  with  ministers.  vSome  say  the  ministers  are 
getting  so  high-toned  that  they  want  to  get  better  places  all  the  time  ; 
others  say  that  the  churches  are'getting  so  that  they  must  hear  somebody 
else  and  somebody  else,  and  the  two  brought  together  somehow  have  a 
mutual  relation.  There  are  only  two  pastors  in  the  vState  of  longer  stand- 
ing than  Dr.  Eaches  :  Dr.  D.  J.  Yerkes,  at  Plainfield,  and  T.  M.  (irenelle, 
in  the  northern  end  of  the  State.  Since  1894,  a  year  and  five  months,  there 
have  been  fifty-six  .settlements  of  pastors  in  the  State.  Since  January, 
1893,  two  years  and  a  half,  a  little  less  than  one  hundred  and  eighteen.  I 
have  just  given  these  figures  to  show  how  the  procession  is  moving  on. 
We  talk  "about  the  Melhodists  and  their  rapid  changes,  but  we  can 
beat  them  ;  we  ra//.  And  so  such  a  pastorate  is  a  healthful  protest  against 
the  unrest  of  to-dav. 

Then,  again,  it  i.s  a  bright  example  for  the  young  men  that  are  coming 
to  the  front.  In  these  twenty-five  years  122  churches  have  been  organized 
and  the  membership  increased  about  20,000.  Just  up  the  street  there  is  the 
institution  of  which  you  are  all  so  proud.  I  read  that  this  was  dedicated  in 
1869,  but  whatever  may  be  the  history  of  its  earlier  days,  the  real  history 
of  it  has  been  within  these  twenty-five  years.  And,  brethren  and  friends, 
I  believe  that  I  say  not  too  much  when  I  say  that  Peddie  Institute  owes 
its  life  to  Dr.  Raches.  Principals  have  come  and  gone.  Boards  of  Trustees 
have  changed  in  character,  but  Dr.  Eaches  has  stayed  with  it  and  has 
exercised  that  indomitable,  persistent,  victorious  influence  which  has  made 
Peddie  Institute  what  it  is  to-day.  That  means  mighty  thing.s  for  our 
denomination,  for  here  have  been  gathered  the  boys  and  the  girls  that 
have  gone  back  to  their  churches  and  exercised  their  part  in  the  denom- 
inational life  of  the  State.  He  has  sent  forth  in  the.se  twenty  five  years 
his  silent,  radiating  influence  into  all  the  churches  of  the  State  that  have 
been  specially  represented  here.  It  is  my  privilege  to  go  among  these 
churches  a  good  deal  and  to  meet  young  men,  and  older  ones — for  those 
that  were  voung  fifteen  or  twenty  years  ago  are  getting  older  now.  They 
often  speak  to  me  about  Hightstown  and,  I  may  say,  seldom,  if  ever,  do 
they  omit  Dr.  Eaches'  name.  They  always  speak  of  him  with  love  and 
recall  the  influence  which  he  had  "on  their  lives.  And  so  I  might  speak 
of  the  P:ducation  Society  and  his  part  in  that  as  Secretary,  coming  in 
touch  with  the  voung  men  that  are  being  educated  for  the  ministry  and 
making  them  feel  the  touch,  so  that,  as  they  go  forth  they  feel  the  power 
which  this  pastor's  silent,  potent  influence  has  brought  upon  them. 

May  God  grant  that  these  influences  thus  enforced  by  these  t\vent}'-five 
years' may  continue  and  that  the  hearts  of  pastor  and  people  inay  be  if 
possible,  more  and  more  cemented,  not  only  for  loving  companionship, 
but  for  usefulness  in  God's  kingdom. 

The  audience  was  then  favored  with  a  solo  by  Mi.ss  Luella 
Chamberlin. 

Mr.  Perry  :   We  will  now  have  an  address  by  Rev.  T.  B.  Appleget 


on  "  What  a  twenty-five  years'  Pastorate  means  to  the  Community." 

I  think  myself  happy,  Mr.  Chairman,  that  I  anu  permitted  this  day  to 
answer  for  the  community  as  to  what  thi.«  man  has  been  to  us  for  twenty- 
five  venrs  ;  but  I  am  unhappy  because  those  who  were  not  here  and  there- 
fore know  nothing  about  it,  have  fixed  a  limit  of  ten  minutes  in  which  I 
am  to  tell  what  I  have  known  about  the  man  in  twenty-five  years.  I 
heard  a  sermon  last  Sunday  night  which  has  been  in  my  mind  somewhat 
ever  since,  and  I  cannot  separate  it  from  what  I  am  to  saj'.  The  speaker 
referred  to  three  elements  of  true  greatness — a  noble  motive,  a  self-sacri- 
ficing devotion,  and  courage  in  action.  I  thought,  if  it  was  a  great 
thing  we  were  celebrating  to-day,  if  this  man  has  attained  an  eminence 
that  deserves  this  celebration,  I  will  find  these  three  attributes  in  this 
man.  And  a  twenty-five  years'  pastorate  in  a  Baptist  church  is  a  great 
thing,  because,  as  I  understand  it,  your  machinery  is  such  that  you  can 
get  rid  of  a  pastor  if  you  want  to. 

But  I  wish  to  talk  about  the  man,  and  I  hope  that  the  committee  have 
seen  the  propriety  of  having  Dr.  Eaches  absent  to-da}-.  I  take  that  for 
granted,  and  am  going  to  speak  just  as  if  he  were  not  here.  What  does 
this  twentv-five  years  mean  to  the  community?  All  that  it  means  when 
a  man  comes  among  us  who  appreciates  the  full  value  of  manhood  and  has 
a  true  idea  of  what  a  human  being  is.  It  means  the  presence  in  our  com- 
munity of  one  who  sees  the  likeness  of  his  Maker  in  ever}'  image  that 
He  has  placed  in  our  midst,  and  who  sees  it  not  from  an  elevation,  not 
from  the  pulpit,  not  from  this  platform  level,  but  from  the  level  and  stand- 
point of  other  men.  This  pastor  has  appreciated  the  worth  of  men,  his 
heart  has  been  full  of  love  for  men,  and  on  the  level  of  the  common  peo- 
ple he  has  worked  in  sympathy  with  them.  Reference  has  here  been  made 
to  what  this  pulpit  has  done  in  twentj-five  years.  Thank  God  for  every 
good  word  that  has  gone  forth  from  his  mouth.  But  he  claims  no  patent  on 
that  word.  I  never  heard  him  preach  when  he  did  not  seem  to  want  to  be 
forgotten  himself,  and  to  impress  upon  his  hearers  the  life  of  the  Man  in 
the  Book  and  the  words  written  there,  to  bring  that  Christ  down  to  the 
common  people — and  he  has  counted  none  uncommon.  To  do  this  he  has 
gone  among  us  and  known  us.  Did  you  ever  find  one  in  our  town  who 
needed  guiding  or  elevating,  that  this  man  did  not  see  it  before  you  ?  He 
knows  the  value  of  a  man  anywhere,  and  it  is  because  of  this  that  he  has 
exerted  such  an  influence  for  twenty-five  3-ears.  Htcanie  among  us  with 
a  high  motive,  the  salvation  of  every  man,  woman  and  child  that  he  could 
reach  in  any  way.  I  know  of  no  better  Baptist  anywhere,  nor  an^'  better 
Baptist  pastor  anywhere,  but  he  has  not  been  satisfied  with  limitations. 
You  may  strike  the  circle  of  a  carriage  ride  and  it  is  all  his  parish.  With 
a  desire  to  elevate  lives,  to  bring  hearts  to  heaven,  to  save  men,  he  has  had 
an  interest  in  all  that  was  going  on  around  him.  He  has  gone  into  all 
the  little  nooks  and  corners  of  the  community,  he  has  been  interested  in 
every  phase  of  our  lives,  our  homes,  our  organizations,  our  politics. 
Feeling  that  men  ought  to  be  right  and  do  right,  he  has  not  been  slow  to 
show  them  how,  and  he  has  not  been  afraid  to  tell  them  and  show  them 
even  how  to  vote  right.     It  has  been  said,  and  I  believe  it,  that  he  knows 


more  and  sooner  what  is  going  on  in  this  town  than  any  other  man  in  it — 
when  a  child  is  sick  or  is  born  or  dies,  when  a  person  moves  in  or  moves 
out,  meets  with  an  accident  or  needs  help.  His  heart  is  a  regular  visiting 
book  for  every  relief  committee,  and  his  head  the  best  poll  register  in  the 
borough.  What  he  does  not  know  on  these  lines  he  is  not  afraid  to  go 
around  and  find  out.  Strange,  indeed,  has  been  the  experience  of  any 
official  Board  of  this  town  if  they  have  not  had  their  attention  called  to 
necessitous  cases  by  Dr.  Eaches.  "  It  must  be  attended  to,  brother  ;  it 
is  your  case,  but  it  must  be  attended  to."  And  it  was  attended  to.  And 
with  his  noble  motive  he  has  always  had  the  courage  of  his  convictions, 
and  this  means  something  when  it  is  on  the  right  side.  It  was  not  all 
easy  times.  This  town  is  in  a  much  better  social  and  moral  and  financial 
condition  than  it  used  to  be,  and  Dr.  Eaches  came  among  us  before  the 
beginning  of  easy  times  and  he  had  a  hand  in  that  beginning.  It  has  not 
always  been  easy  times  for  the  Institute  or  the  town.  There  was  hard 
fighting  to  make  the  school  safer  b\-  making  the  town  better.  We  used 
to  fight  on  the  line  of  water  and  whiskey,  and  Dr.  Eaches  was  on  the 
right  side  then.  I  was  reading  the  names  of  those  who  stood  with  him  in 
those  days,  and  are  gone  away  now,  all  good  men  like  Rev.  J.  B.  Davis, 
E.  R.  Cole,  Prof.  Pratt,  Rev.  Wm.  Walton,  Rev.  E.  Hathaway,  Col.  Tay- 
lor, John  ^[cMurran,  C.  W.  Mount,  T.  M.  Scroggv,  Enoch  Allen,  Gilbert 
Seaman,  E.  T.  Combs,  A.  Walling,  I.  H.  Goldy.  Daniel  Slack,  Elston 
Hunt,  J.  C.  Johnson.  Thomas  McDonald,  Dr.  Deshler,  and  I  could  name 
scores  who  are  with  him  still.  And  he  keeps  on  the  right  side,  and  fights 
hard  and  fair  for  improvements,  morals  and  good  order.  And  they  honor 
him  for  his  courage  and  his  fairness.  The  present  council  was  elected  on 
water-works  lines  ;  you  will  find  the  flag  floating  over  the  town  hall  in 
honor  of  Dr.  Eaches  ;  yes,  and  over  the  hotel,  too.  in  honor  of  this  anni- 
versary. Why,  a  few  years  ago  they  thought  the\'  would  stop  the  noise 
of  rejoicing  over  our  victories,  and  they  took  the  tongue  out  of  the  bell  of 
the  Baptist  church  steeple  and  hid  it.  But  one  tongue  they  never  could 
stop,  and  that  was  in  the  mouth  of  the  pastor — it  is  wagging  still. 
And  my  prophecy  is  that  while  the  man  lives  that  tongue  will  go  on 
speaking  good  words  for  the  communit\-,  helpful  words  for  every  man,  be 
he  rich  or  poor. 

My  remaining  minute  I  will  spend  in  hearty  congratulations  to  the 
pastor  and  to  the  community  that  for  twenty-five  years  we  have  had  a  man 
among  us  who  loved  men  as  individuals  and  was  not  afraid  to  get  down 
on  the  level  to  do  his  work,  to  save  men. 

Mr.  Perry  :     I  am  glad  to  have  Rev.  M.  N.  Smith  and  Rev.  W. 
T.  Galloway  with  u.s  to-day.     They  will  please  come  to  the  platform. 
We  will  now  have  some  words  of  fraternal  greeting  from  Dr.  Tyack 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  our  town. 
Mr.  Chairman  : 

I  am  very  glad  to  be  here  this  afternoon.  I  was  asked  what  I  expected 
to  say  and  my  reply  was,  if  I  remember  right,  that  I  should  try  and  steer 
clear  of  the  brethren  who  oreceded  me. 


As  a  mere  introduction,  I  should  like  our  friends  to  know  that  a  few 
weeks  since,  when  the  Presbytery  of  Monmouth  met  in  the  Second  Church, 
Cranbury.  a  paper  was  read  calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  twenty-five 
years  ago  at  the  re-union  of  the  old  and  new  schools,  a  certain  committee 
was  appointed  to  look  after  the  home  missionary  interests  of  this  neigh- 
borhood. Seven  ministers  were  put  on  that  committee.  In  April  of  this 
year  when  the  Presbytery  met  at  the  end  of  twenty-five  years,  five  of  these 
ministers  were  there  present  and  were  still  serving  on  the  same  committee 
— looking  after  the  horne  missionary  interest  representing  Presbyterianism 
throughout  parts  of  tlie  counties  of  Mercer,  Monmouth  and  Middlesex — 
so  that  the  churches  of  this  community  are  noted  for  men  of  long  service. 

Representing  the  younger  members  of  the  sisterhood  of  churches  in  the 
town,  I  bring  our  congratulations  today,  and  lay  down  the  mead  of  praise 
at  the  feet  of  the  Baptist  Church,  our  elder  sister.  We  are  very  glad  to 
recognize  the  fact  that  this  is  the  oldest  of  all  our  churches  ;  we  are  also 
glad  to  recognize  Dr.  Eaches  as  its  pastor  for  twenty-five  years,  who  has 
represented  just  what  the  Baptist  Church  stands  for  to-day  and  has  stood 
for  in  all  the  years  past.  There  is  a  certain  tendency  in  all  lives  to  take 
on  somewhat  of  our  surroundings.  There  is  a  certain  tendency  among 
certain  Baptist  Churches  to  resolve  themselves  into  Congregational 
churches  with  the  distinctive  feature  of  immersion  added.  But  this  church 
stands  for  all  that  belongs  to  it  as  the  distinctive  teaching  of  the  Baptist 
church.  If  our  brethren  throughout  the  state  of  New  Jersey  want  to 
know  what  an  old  fashioned  Baptist  church  is  like  the\'  may  be  pointed 
to  the  Hightstowu  church  and  its  pastor.  There  has  never  been  the  will- 
ing abandonment  of  distinctive  Baptist  principles  to  take  up  some  other 
that  belongs  to  some  other  denomination.  It  is  perfectly  right  it  should 
be  so,  because  the  Church  of  Christ  is  large  enough  to  contain  all  the  ele- 
ments that  go  to  make  up  the  distinctive  body.  I  am  glad  to  bring  the 
congratulations  of  the  town  churches,  because  the  pastor  of  this  church 
and  the  church  itself  stands  for  the  comprehensive  teaching  of  the  word 
of  God.  No  man  can  make  a  pretence  at  holding  a  congregation  for  so 
great  a  number  of  3'ears  unless  week  after  week,  month  after  month,  j-ear 
after  3'ear  that  pastor  delve  in  God's  mine — God's  book.  If  you  could  get 
at  some  Bible  he  has  marked,  you  would  find  that  the  book  has  been 
studied  from  lid  to  lid  and  that  the  pure  gold  of  scripture  truth  has  been 
found  and  dealt  out  in  peculiar  ways  to  his  people.  I  am  glad  that  atten- 
tion has  been  called  to  the  other  fact — that  of  social  reform.  Dr.  Eaches 
has  stood  for  social  elevation  every  time  and  on  the  right  side.  I  will 
simply  pass  on  in  the  waj'  of  just  a  little  warning.  I  should  like  to  tell 
Dr.  Eaches  to  please  instruct  his  congregation  in  the  Commandment 
"  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  me  ;"  for  I  never  saw  pastor  and 
people  so  devoted  to  each  other.  You  just  keep  on  with  the  reverence, 
but  don't  erect  the  image,  and  may  the  Lord's  blessing  rest  upon  him  as 
well  as  his  people. 

Dr.  Perry  :     We  desire  to  have  a  word  or  two  from  Brothers  Smith 

and  Galloway.     Brother  Smith,  pa.stor  of  the  Church  at  Marlboro, 

will  speak  to  us  first. 


13 

I  suppose  that  Dr.  Perry  considers  that  Mr.  (Talloway  and  I  are  capable 
of  speaking  on  any  subject,  since  he  has  not  assigned  us  any  topic. 

I  am  not  very  much  given  to  flattery  unless  it  is  towards  myself  and 
you  know  that  makes  a  different  thing  of  it,  but  I  must  say  a  few  words 
to-day.  I  had  the  honor  of  carrying  a  musket  in  the  P^irst  Regiment  of 
the  old  Pennsylvania  Reserves  in  the  War  of  the  Union  and  of  firing  a  few 
stray  shots  in  tho.se  unpleasant  times.  Occasionally  there  has  come  up 
in  my  mind  the  recollection  of  a  comrade  in  that  company.  He  was  a 
young  man,  singularly  beautiful  and  pure  in  character,  gentle,  kind,  true 
and  noble.  I  have  heard  it  said  of  him  that  he  was  never  known  to  do  a 
little  thing,  an  unchristian  thing,  but  he  was  held  in  the  highest  esteem 
by  the  good  and  bad  of  the  company.  When  he  entered  service  he  wore 
only  a  Corporal's  cheveron,  but  at  the  end,  when  he  graduated  from 
"  Uncle  Sam's"  service,  he  wore  the  stripes  of  the  Orderly  Sergeant.  He 
passed  away  only  a  few  years  ago.  His  name  was  John  C.  Eaches.  He 
was  born  from  the  same  parents  as  O.  P.  Eaches.  I  have  always  recol- 
lected him  with  the  sincerest  admiration  for  his  character  and  for  his 
noble,  manly.  Christian  bearing.  I  had  never  known  O.  P.  Eaches  until 
about  four  years  ago,  when  we  came  to  Hightstown.  But  the  articles  of 
our  denominational  press,  bearing  the  initials  O.  P.  E.,  always  had  special 
interest  for  me.  In  my  relations  with  Dr.  Eaches  I  have  found  in  him  all 
that  there  was  good  and  true  and  admirable  in  his  brother  with  the  added 
force,  grace,  beauty  and  power  of  education  and  hard  work  in  the  service 
of  the  Lord  as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel.  Dr.  Eaches  and  I  both  hailed 
from  Pennsylvania.  I  want  to  add  my  testimony  to  all  that  has  been  said 
here  to-day  concerning  this  man,  and  to  extend  my  congratulations  to 
Dr.  Eaches  and  to  his  church  to-day  on  the  twenty-five  years  of  successful 
work  here.  I  only  hope  that  this  is  the  threshold  of  another  quarter  of  a 
century,  and  Dr.  when  you  come  around  to  your  next  anniversary  we  will 
come  again  with  our  congratulations.  May  God  bless  you  and  the  church 
in  your  service. 

Mr.  Perry  :      Mr.  Galloway  will  now  add  a  few  words. 
Brethren  and  Sisters  : 

I  feel  glad  that  I  have  this  privilege  of  looking  upon  you  to-day  on  this 
festive  occasion,  and  I  bring  to  you  the  hearty  congratulations  of  a 
daughter  of  this  church  ;  I  bring  to  you  the  congratulations  of  the 
daughter  to  the  mother,  and  I  know  if  you  could  hear  all  the  children 
speak  concerning  this  occasion  they  would  say  "  Amen  !  Amen  !  God 
bless  you,  your  pastor  and  your  work."  I  feel  as  I  look  around  this  build- 
ing, that  this  is  a  festive  occasion,  that  we  have  had  not  only  the  privi- 
lege of  enjoying  a  bountiful  collation  in  the  other  room— which  was 
delightful  and  for  the  refreshment  of  the  body— but  that  there  is  also 
refreshment  here  for  the  inner  man  We  all  have  our  thoughts  on  this 
twenty-five  years'  pastorate,  and  without  attempting  any  formal  speech, 
I  think  I  could  name  about  four  points  which  would  embrace  what  I  have 
to  say. 

First,  There  must  be  remarkable  common  sen.se  displayed  on  the  part 
of  the  church  and  in  the  second  place  on  the  part  of  the  pastor.     No  pastor 


ever  found  a  perfect  people  ;  no  people  ever  found  a  perfect  pastor.  So, 
both  must  have  understood  that  fact  all  through  and  must  have  worked 
in  harmony  with  that  idea.  Then,  in  the  third  place,  the  blessing  of  God 
must  have  been  resting  upon  you  and  your  pastor  in  all  these  3'ears. 

And  the  fourth  point  I  would  mention  is,  that  3'ou  and  your  pastor  have 
been  wonderfully  successful  in  banishing  the  presence  and  power  of  the 
Devil.  I  believe  that  it  has  been  the  good  fight  of  faith  with  the  spiritual 
weapons  of  prayer  and  the  word  of  God  that  accounts  for  this  success.  I 
am  going  to  mention  one  thing  more,  then  I  must  close.  This  pastorate 
is  an  inspiration  to  younger  men,  and  to  all  men  in  the  ministry,  and  I 
want  to  say  this  :  you  are  making  hi.story  here  to-da^-  that  will  make 
a  lasting  impre-ision  upon  my  mind  as  a  pastor  and  upon  the  minds  of  all 
the  pastors  gathered  here.  But  the  one  thing  that  I  have  especially'  no 
ticed  here  to-day  is  the  love  that  e.xists  between  pastor  and  people.  This 
calls  to  mind  a  little  thing  that  I  heard  the  other  day  :  Two  ladies  were 
discussing  love  and  marriage— ladies  do  discuss  these  things  sometimes, 
you  know.  It  was  a  foregone  conclusion  with  the  two  of  them  that  a 
man  should  love  a  woman  devotedly  ;  that  he  should  be  willing  to  die  for 
her,  if  necessary'.  On  the  side  of  the  woman's  devotion  their  opinions 
differed.  The  one  thought  that  it  was  only  necessary  for  a  woman  to 
admire  the  man  she  married  ;  the  other  thought  that  the  wife's  love 
should  equal  that  of  the  husband.  I  won't  answer  any  of  these  questions, 
but  I  know  and  believe  that  a  church  may  admire  a  man's  face,  his  elo 
quence,  his  intellectual  genius,  his  versatility  in  presenting  a  subject, 
may  admire  him  for  his  dignity'  and  greatness  and  for  many  other  things, 
but  if  I  can  hear  that  the  people  of  God  love  a  man  as  a  servant  of  God, 
love  him  for  his  very  work's  sake,  then  I  believe  that  the  Master  has  been 
the  inspiration  of  that  love.  And  when  I  hear  that  a  pastor  loves  his  peo- 
ple and  lets  his  heart  out  to  them  I  know  that  God  is  with  him. 

May  God  bless  you  in  more  years  of  useful  work  in  his  kingdom. 

A  fine  .solo  was  then  sung  by  Mr.  B.  P.  Stout,  a  former  member, 
now  of  Philadelphia. 

Dr.  Perry  :  We  have  now  two  topics  that  will  be  considered.  The 
first  is,  "What  makes  a  twenty-five  years'  pa.storate  possible?"  by 
Dr.  G.  W.  Clark  : 

We  have  had  an  object  lesson  which  has  extended  through  twenty-five 
years,  and  the  proper  person  to  speak  upon  it  would  be  Dr.  Eaches  him- 
self. He  is  a  man  who  knows  how  to  use  the  blackboard,  and  I  know 
that  if  he  should  use  it  here,  he  could  tell  us  better  than  anyone  else  how 
to  make  a  twenty-five  j'ears'  pastorate  possible. 

And  then,  on  the  part  of  the  church.  The  church  here  has  been  acting 
its  part  for  twenty-five  years,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  Brother  Allen  or 
some  of  the  other  brethren  could  tell  better  than  I  just  how  a  church  could 
make  such  a  pastorate  possible. 

We  have  had  exercises  on  this  object  lesson  this  afternoon  ;  every 
speaker  has   been   contributing   something    to   it.       I    can    only    sum    it 


15 

up  ;  I  have  but  little  time.  I  can  say  this,  however,  that  though  Dr. 
Eaches  was  a  younger  man  when  he  came,  yet  in  mauN-  respects  he  is  no 
older  now  than  he  was  then.  He  has  kept  up  with  the  times  ;  he  has 
kept  up  in  his  studies  ;  he  knows  what  is  going  on  in  the  world,  in  the 
church  at  large,  in  our  own  denomination.  And  thus  he  has  kept  young 
and  fresh,  and  what  he  has  to  sa}-  is  alwaj-s  fresh.  We  owe  not  only 
something  to  him  in  this  respect,  but  we  owe  something  to  his  excellent 
wife  for  her  quiet,  di.screet  way  and  for  the  counsel  and  help  which  she 
has  given  to  her  husband,  to  the  ladies  and  to  the  congregation.  And  on 
the  part  of  the  congregation  we  owe  much  to  the  Trustees  and  to  the  Dea- 
cons and  to  the  officers  in  our  church  work.  I  may  say,  perhaps,  to  men- 
tion one  name,  we  owe  much  to  the  Superintendent  of  our  Sunday  school, 
John  K.  Allen,  who,  for  twenty  years,  has  held  this  position  and  who  has 
contributed  largely  to  make  this  pastorate  possible.  We  owe  much  to  the 
ladies  who  have  been  growing  more  and  more  energetic  and  useful  as  the 
years  pass  on.  We  owe  much  to  the  yoving  people  who  have  become 
more  and  more  active  during  these  twenty-five  years.  And  so,  as  we  look 
at  pastor  and  people  we  see  what  made  it  possible,  and  the  same  condi- 
tions proving  true  in  other  churches  would  make  it  possible  in  them. 

I  may  state,  briefly,  two  or  three  things  that  will  make  it  possible. 
First  of  all,  there  should  be  a  mutual  love  and  confidence  between  the 
pastor  and  his  people.  In  reading  II  Corinthians  lately  I  have  been 
struck  with  the  love  of  Paul  for  the  Corinthian  Church  and  how  he  shows 
his  love  in  opening  his  heart  to  his  young  converts  and  so  overcame  every 
obstacle.  Never  afterward  within  the  church  was  there  anything  but 
affection  and  love  ;  opposition  was  completely  overcome.  There  is  noth- 
ing like  mvitual  love,  mutual  confidence, — for  a  pastor  to  believe  in  his 
church  and  for  a  church  to  believe  in  its  pastor.  Where  this  is  the  case  a 
pastorate  will  probably  be  a  long  one,  and  there  will  be  devotion  to  Christ 
and  His  cause.  And  a  church,  when  it  receives  a  pastor,  should  receive 
him  as  if  he  were  to  spend  his  life  with  them  and  the  pastor  should 
go  to  them  in  the  same  spirit.  With  such  consecration,  righteousness 
and  truth  will  prevail,  and  a  long  pastorate  will  be  the  result. 

Then,  finally,  there  must  be  the  blessing  of  God.  Without  //  a  pastor- 
ate is  worthless  ;  with  //  no  pastorate  can  be  too  long.  And  then,  with 
the  blessing  of  God,  with  hope  and  trust  in  Him,  we  should  look  forward 
to  a  great  and  glorious  future,  expecting  that  as  God  has  blest  in  the  past 
so  he  will  continue  to  bless  in  the  future. 

Prof.   Perry  :   Rev.  T.  S.  Griffith  will  now  speak  of  "  Retrospect 

and  Prospect." 

Brother  Appleget,  3-ou  expressed  my  sentiment  exactly  when  3-ou  said, 
Ten  minutes  to  tell  the  story  which  you  could  tell,  and  nobod\'  could  tell 
any  better,  and  I  just  wish  that  3'ou  had  had  ten  times  ten  minutes. 
There  is  where  you  made  a  mistake  (turning  to  Dr.  Perr}').  Just  think  of 
it — "  Retrospect  and  Prospect" — ten  minutes.  When  I  got  the  communi- 
cation from  the  Committee  asking  me  to  come  over  here,  and  speak  on 
"Retrospect  and  Prospect,"  I  said,  "where  does  that  begin?  Does 
he  mean   that  I  shall   go  back  to  the  times  when  I  first    knew    Hights- 


i6 

town  ?"  "  I  preached  in  that  church  in  Brother  Mulford's  time,"  said  L 
Well,  now,  friends,  I  have  but  a  word  to  say,  onh',  I  know  that  every- 
thing I  have  heard  here  to-day  ought  to  have  been  said.  This  dear  brother 
and  this  dear  church  !  I  feel  serious  to-day.  Twenty-five  years  gone  out 
of  a  man's  life  !  Is  there  a  man  of  you  who  looks  back  over  twenty-five 
years,  who  doesn't  say,  "  I  would  do  it  better  if  I  could  do  it  again."  I 
know  just  how  Brother  Eaches  feels  about  that,  for  he  is  enough  like  the 
rest  of  us.  He  would  say  of  his  work,  "  It  is  a  very  poor  piece  of  work  " ; 
I'm  sure  he  would.  Twenty- five  years  gone  into  eternity,  and,  oh  !  I  feel 
sometimes  that  one  of  the  things  that  makes  me  glad  I  am  going  to 
Heaven  is,  that  we  will  see  our  work  after  the  touch  of  the  Master  is  on  it. 
We  will  see  it  made  perfect,  made  complete.  What  a  blessed  thought 
that  is  to  think  whatever  the  short  comings  of  the  past,  the  Master  will 
present  our  works  perfect  and  beautiful. 

And  now  I  want  to  say  one  or  two  things  about  Brother  Eaches  and  his 
relations  to  the  church.  At  one  of  our  evening  prayer  meetings  we  had  a 
charming  brother  who  loved  to  pray  and  one  night  he  prayed  this  :  "  Oh! 
God,  bless  our  pastor.  Thou  knowest  how  hard  it  is  to  please  some  peo- 
ple, and  that  it  is  impossible  to  please  everybody."  Now,  in  view  of  this 
prayer,  I  want  to  say  that  it  is  a  marked  characteristic  of  this  man  that 
he  has  stayed  in  one  place  for  twenty-five  3'ears.  Now  let  me  say  in  this 
connection — and  I  doubt  if  any  member  knows  what  I  am  going  to  say — 
that  there  were  disturbing  elements  in  this  church  when  Dr.  Eaches  came 
here.  People  came  to  my  study  in  the  city  of  Trenton  and  talked  about 
it.  Nobody  has  since  heard  of  any  trouble.  What  a  blessed  thing  it  is  to 
be  a  peacemaker.  What  a  blessed  thing  that  the  Lord  sent  him  here. 
Every  storm  was  hushed  and  peace  reigned.  All  that  has  been  said  here 
to-day  is  very  true.  I  can't  talk  about  prospect.  Why  sometimes  when 
I  read  in  the  Book  about  Abraham  looking  ahead  to  Mt  Olivet  and  the 
blessed  sunlight  of  a  precious  future,  it  makes  me  so  happy.  And,  now, 
dear  brother,  you  be  happy.     The  Lord  is  unquestionably  on  your  side. 

Dr.  Perry  :  We  have  done  a  great  thing  this  afternoon.  We  are 
through  our  program  within  two  minutes  of  the  time. 

Dr.  Perry  then  read  the  following  letter  from  Prof.  Enoch  Perrine, 

Ph.  D.,  of  Bucknell  University  : 

BucKNELL  University,  Lewisburg,  Penn'a., 

Department  of  English,  May  21,  1895. 

My  Dear  Dr.  Eaches : — Before  your  invitation  reached  me,  I  had  taken 
the  cue  from  the  announcement  in  last  week's  Gazette,  and  was  about  to 
write  telling  you  how  much  my  heart  was  in  the  "  Anniversary  "  soon  to 
be  celebrated.  I  should  be  glad  to  come  and  show  what  I  feel  by  my 
presence,  but  an  oration  is  to  be  delivered  here  on  the  next  day  and  in  it 
I  am  an  important  factor. 

If  I'm  ever  asked  by  the  Forum  to  write  about  the  men  "  who  have  in- 
fluenced me,"  your  name,  like  Ben  Adhem's,  will  "  lead  all  the  rest." 
Boy  and  man,  you  will  never  know  how  close  you  have  come  into  my 
life  ;  and  though,  absolutely,  in  my  case,  you  have  not  much  to  boast  of — 


17 

since  the  material  on  which  you  worked  was  so  poor — yet  relatively  there 
has  been  "great  gain." 

You  became  our  pastor  while  yet  I  was  a  boy,  full  of  ideas  cruder  than 
the  pictorial  daubs  on  an  Indian's  wigwam  ;  but  by  what  you  said  and 
did,  you  managed  to  lead  me  into  a  "large  place,"  for  which  leading  I 
thank  you  and  through  you  the  "  Father  of  our  spirits." 

When  the  years  of  work  drew  on  and  I  came  to  teach  under  your  e3'e, 
how  kind  you  were  to  me  and  mine  !  And  when  after  a  little  I  went  up 
higher — as  the  people  called  it— to  the  college,  you  were  the  "causing 
cause,"  although  no  word  to  that  effect  ever  escaped  your  lips.  If  the 
highest  happiness  is,  as  Goldsmith  said  it  was,  to  do  good  by  stealth  and 
have  it  found  out  by  accident,  then  highest  happiness  may  be  yours  in 
that  case.  You  assisted  when  my  sister,  my  mother,  my  father,  my  two 
little  children  and  my  father-in-law  were  buried  ;  you  helped  at  my  mar 
riage  ;  you  conducted  me  into  the  church, — in  fact,  when  there  has  come  a 
supreme  moment  in  my  life,  you  were  there,  whether  in  joy  or  sorrow,  to 
weep  or  to  rejoice  out  of  the  fullness  of  your  great  heart. 

Now  that  there  is  so  much  of  life  behind  us  both,  I  have  no  regret  for 
any  part  of  it  I  traveled  over  with  you  ;  and  you  will  believe  that  I  write 
not  mere  rhetoric,  but  what  I  have  long  wanted  to  say.  never  finding  so 
good  an  op]5ortunity  as  the  present.  As  the  good  God  lengthens  out 
your  life  here,  surrounding  you  with  blessings  of  all  kinds,  your  friends 
—among  whom  I  proudly  count  myself— will  believe  that  these  are  only 
indicative  and  typical  of  the  greater  and  better  blessings  in  store  for  you 
when  you  lay  down  the  work  here  to  take  it  up  on  the  other  side. 

Please  give  our  very  best  wishes  to  Mrs.  Eaches  and  the  little  girls,  and 
bslieve  me,  Sincerely,  E-VOCH  Perrine. 

The  presentation  of  gifts  by  Drs.  Clark  and  Perry. 

At  this  point  Dr.  G.  W.  Clark  arose  and  addressed  Dr.  Perry  and 
then  Dr.  Eaches  and  family. 
Mr.  Chairman  : 

There  is  another  party  that  wishes  to  speak  this  afternoon  and  that  is 
the  sisters  and  ladies  of  the  church  and  congregation.  The  Apostle  Paul 
says  that  the  women  are  to  keep  silent  in  the  church,  and  so  the  sisters 
have  made  me  their  mouth-piece  this  afternoon,  to  speak  a  few  words  to 
the  pastor  and  family,  and  in  compliance  with  their  wishes  I  would  say, 
dear  pastor,  that  there  are  some  here  who  welcomed  you  twenty-five  years 
ago,  and  after  twenty  five  3'ears'  experience  they  are  here  now  to  sanc- 
tion what  they  did  then.  Some  of  us  have  come  since  that  time,  but  we 
wish,  also,  to  join  the  welcoming  throng. 

Some  of  us,  also,  recall  5-our  appearance  twenty-five  j-ears  ago.  A 
young  man — almost  a  boy — with  ruddy  countenance  and  bright  eye  and 
honest  face,  with  some  reserve  and  apparent  timidity.  Since  that  time 
maturity  has  gradually  been  taking  the  place  of  youthfulness,  and,  per- 
haps, a  wrinkle  has  begun  its  furrow.  Your  face  has  paled  somewhat  ; 
the  hair  has  thinned  a  little,  and  now  and  then  a  straggling  gray  has 
been  making  its  appearance.  But  time  has  dealt  very  kindly  and  gently 
with  you  and  has  been  tracing  its  furrows  very  lightly. 


You  came,  dear  pastor,  .not  alone  t,went3»-five  3-ears  ag'o  ;  another  came 
with  you — a  helper  and  a  loved  one.  But  her  stay  was  brief,  for  God  took 
her,  and  then  you  were  compelled  to  tread  your  pathway  alone.  But  He 
who  took  afterwards  gave  another,  a  valued  one,  who  has  been  your 
helper  for  sixteen  years — .1  counselor,  quiet  and  excellent  in  influence. 
And  two  others  have  come  to  lighten  up  j'our  household,  and  now  a 
family  of  four  greet  this  happy  anniversary  day.  Surely  there  can  be 
none  who  have  a  greater  interest  in  this  day  than  you  four.  And  3'et, 
behind  us  there  are  five  hundred  or  more  who  feel  an  interest  in  this  day, 
and  we  feel  assured  that  our  combined  interest  is  equal  to  yours.  There 
are  others,  also  ;  some  kept  at  home  by  domestic  duties  ;  some,  perhaps, 
under  the  shadow  of  sorrow  ;  some  are  far  distant,  but  so  far  as  they  know 
of  this  day,  their  interest  and  their  wishes  are  with  ours  and  with  yours: 
But  where  are  the  fathers  and  the  mothers  and  nmny  of  those  who  took 
your  hands  and  greeted  3'ou  so  warmly  twenty-five  years  ago.?  Many  of 
them  are  gone  ;  but  have  they  lost  their  interest  in  this  da3^  in  \ou  and 
in  this  church  ?  Do  tlie3-  not  remember  this,  tlieir  scene  of  toil  ?  Do  they 
not  recall  the  young  pastor  they  greeted  and  the  beginning  of  his  labors? 
Have  they,  because  they  are  in  a  better  countr\',  forgotten  the  trials  and 
conflicts  of  this  world  ?  No;  I  cannot  believe  it.  Memor3- cannot  be  im- 
paired in  that  future  world.  If  it  be  possible  for  those  who  have  gone 
before  to  know  what  is  being  done  in  this  stage  of  our  pilgrimage,  I  can 
fain  believe  that  to-day  they  look  down  upon  us  with  interest  and  with 
J03'.  We  celebrate  no  common  occasion  to-day.  A  twenty  fifth  birthday 
is  something  to  be  greeted  ;  a  twent>'-fifth  wedding  anniversary  is  some- 
thing to  be  noted,  but  a  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  a  pastorate  is  more 
rare,  far  more  uncommon.  Millions  look  forward  to  their  twenty'-five 
years  ;  hundreds  of  thousands  who  enter  the  married  state  expect  their 
silver  wedding,  but  only  here  and  there,  comparativelv,  is  there  one  who 
has  reached  the  silver  anniversary  of  iiis  pastorate.  We  congratulate  3'ou 
and  your  famil3'  to-day  ;  nay,  we  congratulate  ourselves  rather,  upon  this 
happ3'  occasion. 

We  are  all  silver  men  and  silver  women  and  silver  children  to-day.  We 
are  honest  ones,  however.  If  we  do  believe  in  the  hard  dollar,  we  believe 
in  one  hundred  cents  to  the  dollar.  We  believe  in  the  just  weight  and 
the  righteous  balance,  which  is  pleasing  to  the  Lord.  We  believe  in  the 
shekels  of  the  sanctuary'  and  so.  while  we  are  silver  people,  it  is  honest 
silver,  with  honest  weight,  with  full  measure.  You  have  taught  us  to  be 
Scriptural,  3'ou  have  made  the  Bible  30ur  standard,  and  in  that  Word  we 
read  of  silver  cups  and  silver  basins  and  silver  tra3'S  and  silver  bowls  and 
silver  goblets,  and  silver  urns  ;  and  so  the  sisters  of  our  church — fast  to 
learn,  steadfa.st  to  the  truth — have  been  following  in  the  line  of  3'our  in- 
structions and  have  thus  selected  this  silver  service  and  silver  spoons  to  be 
presented  to  you.  to  your  wife  and  to  your  daughters.  Your  work  has  been 
permanent ;  your  labors  have  not  been  superficial  ;  you  have  not  been  lay- 
ing upon  the  foundation  wood,  hay  and  stubble,  but  gold,  silver  and 
precious  stones  (I  Cor.  3  :  12)  ;  and  these  pieces  of  silver  represent  the  per- 
manency of  the  work  which  you  have  engaged  in.  These  pieces,  also,  rep- 
resent the  value  of  the  great  truths  which  have  been  inwrought  into  the 


19 

hearts  and  into  the  lives  and  characters  of  the  people.  Our  sisters,  there- 
fore, grateful  to  God  that  they  have  enjoved  your  watch-care  so  long, 
come  and  cougratulate  you  upou  the  happv  issue  of  a  tvveut3'-five  years' 
pastorate,  and  as  a  token  of  tlieir  esteem  aud  affection  for  you.  your  estima- 
ble wife  and  your  children,  they  make  this  presentation.  The  service  is 
marked  for  Dr.  aud  Mrs.  Eaches  ;  the  silver  spoons  for  your  daughters, 
to  be  used  in  the  preseut  and  future  generations. 

As  your  work  has  continued  from  year  to  year,  so  do  they  think  that 
these  are  becoming  and  emblematic  of  that  work.  May  they  be  used  in 
this  generation  and  handed  down  to  your  posterity.  They  feel  that  your 
work  and  the  influence  and  blessings  of  your  family  accord  with  the  Word 
of  God.  And  with  this  word  I  must  close  :  "  Seest  thou  a  man  diligent 
in  his  business  (in  his  calling)  he  shall  stand  before  kings  ;  he  shalfnot 
stand  before  mean  men.  Her  husband  is  known  in  the  gates  when  he 
sitteth  among  the  elders  of  the  laud.  May  her  daughters  be  as  corner 
stones  polished  after  the  similitude  of  a  palace.  Her  children  arise  up  and 
call  her  blessed;  her  husband,  also,  he  praiseth  her  saying.  'Many 
daughters  have  done  virtuously,  but  thou  excellest  them  all.'  '' 

Dr.  Perry  :  There  are  some  things  that  the  trustees  wished  to  say 
here  this  afternoon,  but  they  didu't  waiit  to  put  them  in  the  resolutions. 
They  didn't  want  to  say  these  things  themselves  for  fear  of  offending  Dr. 
Eaches.  They  said  to  me  :  "  You  haven't  been  here  so  long  as  we  have, 
you  can  tell  "the  Doctor  tlie-se  things,  and  he  will  take  anything  from 
you  since  you  are  a  preacher."  These  things  must  be  said.  'The  fact  is, 
they  arenot  sure  they  can  stand  the  Doctor  for  another  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury. They  read  somewhere  in  the  Bible  that  a  pastor's  conversation 
and  walk  should  be  without  reproach.  His  conversation  is  all  right,  they 
said,  but  we  don't  like  his  walk. 

All  that  these  good  men  have  said  here  this  afternoon  is  true.  Brother 
Appleget  spoke  of  the  extent  of  Dr.  Eaches'  parish.  One  day  last  summer 
I  was  out  for  a  drive.  I  saw  a  carriage  in  the  distance.  I  said,  "  Who  can 
that  be  driving  .so  fast  ?  "  I  said,  "That's  Dr.  Eaches  ;  yes,  that  is  certain- 
ly his  old  buggy  ;  it  is  a  shame  that  he  has  to  ride  in  such  a  buggy, 
and  he  should  not  drive  so  fast."  When  we  got  into  Hightstown  he  was 
there  ahead  of  us.  Now  the  deacons,  some  of  them,  read  about  the  "one- 
horse  shay,"  and  said  they  believed  that  .some  day  Dr.  Eaches  would  find 
himself  in  the  middle  of  the  road.  So  they  (the  deacon.s)  got  stirred  up 
about  it  and  said  we  must  change  that,  and  so  the  trustees,  deacons,  and 
the  men  of  the  church  thought  that  if  the  ladies  of  the  church  were  going 
to  give  a  silver  service,  they  would  try  to  improve  Dr.  Eaches"  method 
of  getting  around  among  his  people,  somehow.  Thev  decided  to  buy  a 
carriage  for  the  Doctor  and  all  we  have  to  say  now  is  that  we  have  a  buggy 
strong  enough  to  endure  all  the  fast  driving  he  wants  to  do.  It  is  now 
out  on  the  green. 

This  ends  our  program,  except  that  if  I  had  been  given  a  new  buggy, 
my  wife  a  silver  service  and  my  children  some  silver  spoons,  I  would  get 
up  and  make  a  speech. 


20 

Dr.  Eaches  :  If  you  were  ever  preached  about  and  preached  to  and 
singled  out  by  the  minister,  you  would  feel  just  a  little  the  way  I  feel  this 
afternoon.  I  was  brought  up  to  think  whatever  ministers  said  was  true, 
but  I  have  come  to  put  a  large  discount  on  what  these  ministers  sa}'. 
If  I  were  asked  what  I  think  of  what  has  been  said  here  this  afternoon,  I 
would  sav,  "  I  don't  believe  one-half  of  it  and  then  what  about  the  other 
half?     Well,  I  am  in  great  doubt  about  //." 

Twenty  five  years  ago,  on  the  22d  of  March,  I  received  a  letter  calling 
me  to  the  pastorate  of  this  church.  It  was  one  of  the  hardest  struggles  of 
my  life  to  know  what  to  do.  I  finally  said,  "  That  call  I  cannot  accept." 
I  sent  word  back,  "  I  must  refuse  your  call."  Then  a  committee  consisting 
of  Mr.  Wooley  and  Mr.  J.  E.  Rue  came  to  see  me.  It  was  a  hard  struggle 
to  know  what  to  do.  But  I  came,  and  it  has  seemed  to  me  that  in  some 
wa}'  God's  guiding  hand  was  in  this.  If  brother  Appleget  will  turn  to 
the  columns  of  the  Hightstown  Gazette  oi  }\\\\q  ist,  1870,  lie  will  find  an 
item  saying  that  the  new  pastor  was  not  orthodox.  And  so,  with  the  aid 
of  the  Gazette,  I  have  tried  to  keep  measurably  straight  since  then  and 
preach  according  to  the  Scriptures. 

I  want  to  say  this,  that  in  all  our  church  meetings  for  twenty-five  years 
I  have  never  heard  an  unkind  word  said  b\'  one  member  to  another  ;  I 
have  never  had  an  unkind  word  said  to  me  e.xcept  once  and  in  five  minutes 
after  the  lady  took  it  all  back  and  said,  "I  should  not  have  said  that, 
should  I ? " 

A  long  pastorate  illustrates  a  remarkable  church,  for  how  a  church  can 
endure  a  man  coming  with  the  same  old  story  for  twent^'-five  3'ears,  and 
for  fifty-two  Sundays  in  each  3"ear,  I  don't  know.  About  a  month  ago  I 
burned  five  hundred  sermons,  and  I  want  to  say  that  they  were  exceedingly 
dry,  they  burned  so  rapidly.  You  may  be  sure  that  you  will  never  hear 
any  one  of  these  five  hundred  again. 

I  never  meant  to  have  a  long  pastorate.  Twenty-five  years  ago  I  said 
to  the  deacons,  'Any  time  that  you  think  I  ought  to  go,  simpl}^  kindly, 
privately  tell  me  so  and  I  will  go.'  I  would  not  fight  to  gain  a  place,  and 
I  would  not  try  to  keep  a  place  when  once  I  got  it.  It  has  been  said  that 
Spurgeon  said — though  he  denies  it — "  If  30U  resist  the  Devil  he  will  fly 
from  30U,  but  if  \ovi  resist  a  deacon  he  will  fly  at  you."  In  these\\\&x\  and 
women  I  have  found  the  kindest  people  that  any  pastor  could  find.  There 
are  528  names  on  our  roll  up  to  the  time  of  our  last  count,  and  if  the  books 
were  burned,  I  could  go  over  them  all,  from  A  to  Z.  If  I  close  my  eyes  I 
know  where  you  sit  and  with  1113'  e3-es  closed  I  can  pick  out  the  bo3'S  and 
the  girls,  and  if  I  see3'0U  closing  3-our  eyes,  I  think  3-ou  are  simpl3'  trying 
to  think  out  some  cloudy  thing  I  have  said. 

M3'  father  was  a  good  Baptist  deacon  for  years,  and  my  great-great- 
grandfather was  an  old  Welsh  Baptist  luinister,  so  that  we  are  many 
generations  of  Baptists. 

These  are  long  and  precioi:s  3-ears.  I  don't  feel  at  all  proud  to-day  ;  I 
feel  so  insignificant.  There  are  so  manv'  things  that  I  ought  to  have  done. 
Last  night  I  received  a  letter  from  a  lady  asking  me  to  look  after  a  certain 
man.     She  said,   "Years  ago  you  did  me  much  good."      And  so,  in  such 


little  ways  I  find  out  sometimes  that  I  have  done  some  good.     I  ran  across 
an  epitaph  the  other  day. 

"  Here  lies  John  Hill,  a  man  of  skill, 
Whose  years  were  five  times  ten, 
He  never  did  good  and  never  would 
Had  he  lived  as  long  again." 

I  feel  assured  that  the  best  3'ears  of  this  church  are  yet  to  come.  I 
have  a  vision  of  what  will  come  in  the  days  to  be,  a  vision  of  better 
facilities  for  work.  If  .some  of  the  members  of  this  church  would  loan  me 
their  check  books  I  would  make  the  work  tell.  These  davs  to  come  :  I 
don't  know  what  they  will  l)e,  but  I  trust  that  (iod  will  lead  us  and  bless 
us. 

Of  all  those  who  welcomed  me  twenty  five  years  ago,  not  one  occupies 
our  choir  now.  198  of  our  membership  have  gone  above  during  this 
twent^'-five  j-ears  ;  3-ou  know  them  all  and  I  hope  to  meet  them  there.  I 
want  to  say  this,  too  :  I  haven't  a  thought  of  malice  or  ugliness  toward 
any  of  you.     Your  names  are  written  on  my  heart. 

i  want  to  thank  you  all  to-day  for  all  your  kind  words  and  thoughts 
for  me  and  mine  ;  I  want  to  thank  these  fellow  ministers  and  I  do  thank 
them  with  all  my  heart.  I  esteem  you  all  for  what  you  have  been  and 
have  tried  to  do.  and  I  hope  you  will  do  better  things  in  the  da3'S  to  come. 
You  make  me  feel  that  I  ought  to  be  a  wiser  counselor,  a  more  tender 
friend,  more  charitable  in  judging,  more  appreciative  of  those  who  may 
■differ  with  me,  more  helpful,  more  lovely. 

Brother  Appleget  said  that  the}'  didn't  stop  the  tongue  from  wagging, 
I  suppose  he  alluded  to  that  zcag-oii  the\-  have  given  us  to  da\'. 

I  was  asked  which  of  those  numbers  ('70  or  '95)  represented  my  age.  I 
said,  "I  belong  to  the  class  of  '95."  My  future  lies  ahead  of  me,  not 
behind  me.  I  expect  to  be  living  in  the  world  fifty  3'ears  from  now,  biit 
I  don't  expect  to  be  pastor  of  this  church  all  this  tiuie.  If  God  should 
grant  to  us  larger  facilities  for  work — a  place  for  a  reading  room,  a  library 
and  a  night  school — I  should  say  "let  us  live  for  a  hundred  3-ears  to  come." 
And  so,  brothers  and  friends,  I  thank  3'ou  to-day  for  all  that  3-ou  have 
done  and  thought,  for  all  3'our  kindness.  I  shall  not  forget  this  day  and 
I  am  sure  that  it  will  be  to  me  an  incentive  for  better  service  and  a  purer 
heart. 

Is  there  anything  else  3'ou  have  to  give  ?  (turning  to  Mr.  Perr3').  You 
know  a  man  was  once  asked  if  he  kept  the  Sabbath.  The  reply  was  : 
"  Yes,  the  vSabbath  and  ever3-thing  else  that  I  can  la3-  my  hands  on." 

I  am  not  surprised  to-da3',  I  know  what  is  in  3'our  hearts  for  me  and 
for  the  One  above.  I  know  that  3'ou  love  this  church,  I  know  that  30U 
love  Him,  and  as  we  enter  upon  another  quarter  of  a  centur3-  and  so  long 
as  I  am  here  I  want  to  do  better  work  for  30U,  for  ever3'  man  or  woman  whom 
I  can  help.  Ma3'  God  bless  30U  and  keep  30U  and  ma3'  God  bring  us  all 
at  last  to  a  better  union,  a  better  fellowship  in  the  unbroken  chain. 

A  few  words  of  thanks  from  Mrs.  Eaches,  and  then  followed  the  sing- 
ing of  Hymn  463.     "  Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds." 

Benediction  by  the  pastor.  Rev.  O.  P.  Eaches,  D.  D. 


On  Sunday  morning,  June  2nd,  a  large  audience  assembled  at  the 
church,  filling  every  available  seat,  when  Rev.  O.  P.  Eaches,  D.  D. , 
preached  the  following  Twenty-fifth  Anniversary  discourse  from  the 
same  text  that  he  preached  from  on  his  assuming  the  pastorate  : 

CoLOSSiANS  I,  28. — "  IV/iom  wc  proclaim,  admonishing  every 
mail  and  teaching  every  man  in  all  wisdom,  that  we  may  presoit 
every  matt  perfect  in  Christ." 

In  these  words,  from  which  I  spoke  to  you  twenty-five  years  ago  this 
morning,  we  have  the  heart  of  Paul's  ministry.  The  deepest  thing  in 
Paul's  heart  was  Jesus  Christ.     Tennyson  makes  Queen  Mary  say:  — 

"  When  I  am  dead, 
Open  my  heart,  and  there  3-ou  will  find  written 
Two  names,  Philip  and  Calais." 

Paul  had  written  deep  in  his  heart  only  one  name,  Jesus  the  Lord. 
*' Whom  we  proclaim" — that  means  Jesus  Christ.  Paul's  desire  was  to 
bring  men  to  Christ,  to  build  up  Christ  in  men,  to  build  up  men  in  Christ, 
to  make  men  like  Christ.  He  was  not  satisfied  with  conversion,  he  de- 
sired consecration,  character,  Christlikeness,  culture.  The  great  end  of 
the  Christian  life  is,  not  to  escape  hell,  not  to  get  into  heaven,  but  to  be 
transformed  into  the  image  of  Christ.  (Rom.  VIII,  29 )  It  was  a  per- 
sonal work  that  Paul  had  in  hand.  He  desired  to  bring  every  man  to  the 
one  Christ.  There  came  to  him  a  vision  of  a  far  off  day.  There  was  a 
throne,  a  glorified  Christ  upon  that  throne,  a  ministry  of  Paul  to  be  under 
review. 

The  joy  of  Paul's  life  was  saving  men.  The  sufferings  in  his  ministry, 
described  in  2  Cor.  Chapter  XT,  were  not  looked  upon  as  hardships,  but  as 
so  many  ways  by  which  he  could  get  hold  of  men.  He  had  a  large  con- 
scious self  respect,  but  he  said,  "  I  will  stoop  down  to  any  man  that  I  may 
raise  him  up  !  One  of  the  finest  utterences  of  his  life  is — "  I  am  made  all 
things  to  all  men  that  I  might  by  all  means  serve  some."  (i  Cor.  IX.  22.) 
He  was  so  serviceable,  so  useful,  so  concerned  about  men,  so  interested  in 
men  because  he  was  so  Christlike  in  mind.  Here  is  Paul's  life  work,  a 
published  Christ.  Here  is  the  definiteness  of  Paul's  work— a  Christ  pub- 
lished to  every  man.  Here  is  fo"r  every  saved  man,  the  added  work  of 
teaching  him,  for  the  enlarging  of  the  saved  man. 

The  begun  Christian  life  must  be  a  taught,  instructed  life.     It  is  a  tre- 


p 


ctstcr    '^iwe-n,  i  .  Ccucries.   L-.  >^'. 


23 

mendoiis  mistake  of  the  Christian  life  if  that  first  glimpse  of  the  Saviour 
in  granting  pardon  and  peace  be  taken  for  the  whole  of  the  Christian  life. 
The  training  and  growth  in  Christian  character  constitute  the  work  of 
all  the  after'' years.  The  Christian  life,  on  the  side  of  the  Christian,  is 
learnership.     The  Christian  life,  on  the  side  of  Christ,  is  teachership. 

How  far  up  is  the  Christian  man  to  grow  ?  Jesus  Christ  and  Paul  have 
only  one  word,  perfection.  Paul  said  to  the  Christians  of  Colosse— "  I  wish 
to  have  you,  all  of  you,  large,  noble,  pure  minded,  spiritually  lived,  use- 
ful Christian  men."  He  said  :  "I  wish  to  present  you  at  that  day  to 
Him,  for  my  joy,  for  his  glory,  for  your  bles.sedness,  perfect  in  Christ !" 

No  one  can  be  a  New  Testament  minister  without  something  of  this 
feeling.  No  one  can  be  a  real  Christian  who  does  not  wish  to  publish 
Jesus  as  his  Savior,  as  a  Savior  who  would  have  all  men  for  his  disciples. 
No  one  can  live  an  intelligent  Christian  life  who  does  not  wish  to  say  to 
Jesus  Christ  in  that  day  :— "  Here  am  I,  here  is  my  life,  here  are  those 
who  are  thine  through  me  !" 

No  church  can  be  a  Christian  church  that  does  not  live  for  this  one  pur- 
pose, to  witness  for  Christ,  to  teach  Christ,  to  present  men  to  Christ  saved 
and  built  up.  Jesus  Christ  is  salvation,  happiness,  holiness,  heaven.  The 
Christian  is  to  be  a  Christ  to  others.  The  church  is  to  be  an  organized 
Christ,  to  do  His  work,  (i  Cor.  XH.  12.)  For  eighteen  centuries  Jesus 
has  been  preached  in  the  world.  It  is  Christ  that  has  made  the  beauty  of 
personal  character,  a  high  civilization,  the  Christian  church,  access  to 
Him  and  fellowship  with  him. 

For  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  Jesus  has  been  preached  continuously 
before  this  church  from  the  days  of  James  Carman  in  1745  to  this  day. 
Generations  have  come  and  gone,  but  Jesus  Christ  remains.  For  twenty- 
five  years,  in  the  present  pastorate.  Jesus  has  been  presented  as  the  only 
Savior  of  lost  men,  the  only  source  of  pardon  and  peace,  the  only  authori- 
tative teacher  in  matters  of  faith  and  conduct,  the  sole  ruler  in  the  church, 
the  only  open  door  to  heaven. 

I.  In  the  proclamation  of  the  same  Jesus  whom  Paid  preached  Jesus 
Christ  has  won  many  hearts  to  himself.  During  these  years  many  have 
been  added  first  to  the  Lord  and  then  to  his  church.  Twenty-five  years 
ago  yesterday  twelve  were  baptized,  the  fruits  of  work  prior  to  the  present 
pastorate.  During  these  twenty-five  years,  six  hundred  and  forty-eight 
have  been  added  to  the  rolls  of  the  church  by  baptism.  To  His  name  be 
the  glory  and  honor  for  these  men  and  women.  Many  of  these  who  are 
now  the  pillars   of  the  church   have,   during  these  years,  come- to  know 


24 

Jesus  Christ.  All  the  present  Deacons  of  the  church,  with  one  exception, 
have  been  baptized  during  these  years  ;  of  the  fifteen  Trustees,  all  have 
been  added  by  baptism,  except  three.  In  every  year  some  have  confessed 
Christ  in  baptism.  There  have  been  times  of  especial  refreshing.  In  1874 
sixty-eight  were  baptized.  In  1S76  seventy-three  were  baptized.  In  1SS9 
sixty-two  were  baptized.     In  1894  sixty  two  were  baptized. 

What  an  untold  blessing  if  all  these  six  hundred  and  over  had  been 
really,  utterly  dead,  and  then  risen  to  a  full.  Christlike  life  !  Many  of 
these  are  the  glory  and  power  of  the  church  to-da}',  members  on  whom 
the  church  and  all  good  causes  and  Christ  can  lean.  Some  have  not  ful- 
filled the  hopes  cherished  of  them.  Their  lives  have  lieen  impoverished, 
stunted,  blighted.  But  we  inay  rejoice  in  the  work  that  abides.  For 
over  one  hundred  years  the  pond  in  the  rear  of  the  church  propertj'  was 
our  Jordan.  Ten  years  ago  the  baptistery  was  placed  in  the  house  of 
worship. 

Others  have  joined  us  by  letters  from  other  churches.  Two  hundred 
and  forty  have  thus  come  to  us  from  sister  bodies.  Thirty-nine  have  been 
won  back  to  a  Christian  and  church  life  and  restored  to  our  fellowship. 
In  all  nine  hundred  and  twenty-seven  names  have  been  placed  on  our  roll 
during  this  quarter  century.  Almost  one  thousand  men  and  women  have 
been  intrusted  to  our  watchcare  and  training.  It  was  as  though  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Head  of  the  Church  and  the  Shepherd  of  the  sheep  had  said  : 
"  I  give  these  men  and  women  to  your  keeping.  As  you  love  them  and 
love  me,  care  for  them,  build  them  in  purity  and  righteousness,  and  bring 
them  in  safety  to  my  home."  It  is  a  large  and  responsible  thing  to  be  a 
pastor,  to  be  a  Christian,  to  be  a  part  of  a  church  entrusted  with  the  sav- 
ing and  care  of  men.  What  have  we  done  with  these  one  thousand 
members  ? 

II.  God  has  perfected  many  of  our  members  in  the  upper  life.  Those  who 
filled  the  office  of  Deacon  twenty-five  years  ago  were  Enoch  Allen,  John 
M.  Allen,  Randolph  Chamberlain,  Matthew  Rue  and  John  Woolley.  They 
were  pillars  of  the  church.  They  were  men  of  transparent  character, 
spiritually  minded  men.  They  thought  nothing  too  good  for  Jesus  Christ 
or  His  church.  They  are  all  gone — have  been  gone  for  many  years,  some 
of  them.  They  were  pillars  here,  they  are  now  pillars  in  the  upper 
temple.  (Rev.  III.  12.)  They  were  men  who  had  convictions,  men  who 
believed  something  and  knew  why  they  believed  it.  R.  M.  Job,  who  was 
afterward  chosen  to  the  Deaconship,  is  also  among  the  departed.  The 
men  who  were  Trustees  twenty-five  years  ago,  were  John  M.  Allen,  James 


25 

Paxton,  V.  D.  Van  Nest,  Abijah  Chamberlain,  Matthew  Rue,  Samuel 
Fisher,  James  M.  Pullen.     Four  of  these  are  dead, 

The  men  who  were  the  leaders  in  1870  are  almost  all  gone.  Let  me  call 
t0  3-our  remembrance  the  names  of  some  of  our  departed  worthies:  Thomas 
H.  Mount,  Abijah  Mount,  Peter  Forman,  James  Keeler,  William  Tindall, 
John  Fisher,  Wilson  Applegate,  R.  S.  Mason,  A.  F.  Job,  O.  H.  Reed.  All 
these  have  passed  awa}' — have  passed  on,  have  passed  up.  Many  other 
names  you  will  think  of,  some  of  them  touched  your  lives  and  homes  very 
closely  If  we  should  have  an  eleventh  chapter  of  Hebrews  and  call  over 
the  list  of  our  dead  during  this  pastorate,  there  would  be  one  hundred  and 
ninety-eight  of  them.  The  church  helped  to  make  them.  We  have,  as  a 
church,  laid  up  in  heaven  a  ricli  treasure  of  good  men  and  women. 
Twenty-five  years  ago  Rev.  John  Seger  sat  in  the  pulpit,  an  old  white- 
haired  man,  a  former  pastor.  He  soon  after  passed  away.  He  sleeps  in 
the  church  burial  ground  near  Peter  Wilson,  another  old  pastor.  May 
the  memories  of  our  departed  members  hallow  our  lives — may  their  man- 
tles fall  upon  their  children. 

Several  of  these  left  bequests  to  the  church.  Peter  Forman  left  five 
hundred  dollars  ;  Miss  Margaret  Goldy  left  five  hundred  dollars,  the  in- 
terest of  which  is  to  be  used  for  benevolent  purposes  ;  C.  W.  Livingstone 
left  one  thousand  dollars  for  the  care  of  the  aged  of  the  church.  The 
Livingstone  Home  perpetuates  his  name.  Mrs.  Julia  Yager,  who  died 
recently,  left  fifteen  hundred  dollars  to  be  applied  for  the  payment  of  the 
debt  upon  the  Livingstone  Home.  The  best  heritage  these  men  and 
women  left  to  the  church  was  the  memory  of  good  and  useful  lives.  All 
of  us  may  greatly  enrich  the  church  by  holy  living.  The  wealth  of  a 
church  is  the  splendor  of  its  piety  and  character.  No  member  of  the 
church  ought  ever  to  leave  money  by  will  to  care  for  the  current  expenses 
of  the  church.  The  church  of  the  living  ought  to  care  for  the  life  of  the 
church.  An  endowment  for  current  expenses  will  be  only  a  curse  and 
always  a  curse  freeing  the  members  from  the  duties  they  ought  to  bear. 
It  will  be  wise,  eminently  wise,  to  give  money  now  and  to  bequeath 
money  by  will  for  a  house  of  worship  that  in  time  must  come,  for  j'oung 
men's  work,  for  a  public  library,  for  all  helping  agencies  of  this  kind. 
Let  us  strive  to  live  upward  and  then  shall  we  live  best,  in  the  after  years, 
when  we  are  dead.  Some  of  our  dead  members  are  yet  very  useful 
among  us. 

III.  Alotigside  of  these  perfected  men  and  wovien  God  has  given  growtJi- 
in  material  things  for  the  perfecting  of  his  people  here.     Twenty-five  years 


26 

ago  the  Sundny  School  room  was  utterly  barren,  with  uiipainted  walls, 
with  uncarpeted  floors,  with  fixed  pews,  having  no  maps,  no  blackboard. 
The  primary  class  met  up  stairs,  making  use  of  a  few  high  benches  with 
no  backs.  During  these  jears  the  interior  of  the  house  of  worship  has 
been  beautified,  the  Cathedral  glass  windows  inserted,  the  gift  of  Mrs. 
Mary  A.  Middleton,  the  old  church  property  re-roofed  and  refitted,  the 
baptistery  built,  the  steam  heating  apparatus  introduced,  the  organ  house 
built  in  the  rear  of  the  house  of  worship,  the  little  organ  in  the  gallery 
replaced  by  the  present  organ,  the  gift  of  Wilson  G.  Hunt,  of  New  York, 
a  new  communion  service,  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Mary  Job,  the  Sunday  School 
room  refurnished  and  additions  made  at  the  rear  of  the  old  church  prop- 
erty for  Bible  class  purposes,  the  parsonage  grounds  purchased  and  a 
parsonage  erected  at  a  cost  of  five  thousand  dollars,  the  grounds  in  front 
of  the  church  property  greatly  beautified  and  the  stone  wall  erected,  the 
gift  often  thousand  dollars  from  Wilson  G.  Hunt,  invested  for  the  future 
musical  uses  of  the  church,  all  these  and  others  not  here  mentioned,  show 
that  the  people  of  Christ  worshipping  here  have  not  forgotten  to  care  for 
the  place  where  they  meet  to  call  upon  his  name.  The  entire  sum  raised 
for  current  expenses  and  improvements  during  these  years  has  beeu 
^72,650.90.  The  money  given  for  Christ's  sake  to  be  turned  into  beanty 
for  the  sanctuary,  is  not  money  thrown  away.  It  is  a  material  thing  that 
may,  under  God,  be  the  means  of  helping  Christ's  cause  and  saving  men. 
Heaven  is  a  beautiful  place.  Christ's  house  here  ought,  if  possible,  to  be 
a  beautiful  place.  A  beautiful  house  of  worship  may  contribute,  if  rightly 
used,  to  the  beauty  of  holiness. 

IV.  The  c/ncrc/i  //as  utilized  new  agencies  for  saving  and  teaching  men. 
Twenty-five  3ears  ago  in  our  Sunday  School  each  class  read  and  studied 
where  it  pleased.  There  was  no  order  in  stud3-,  no  method.  There  wer'e 
almost  no  helps  for  teachers  or  scholars.  The  present  plan  of  regular, 
systematic  study,  the  International  Lesson  S3'stem,  has  come  into  use  in 
these  3ears.  We  have  lived  one  hundred  3-ears  in  these  twent3'-five  years. 
We  do  not  love  the  Book  more  than  our  fathers,  but  we  have  the  privilege 
of  knowing  it  better.  The  Superintendents  have  been  John  Woolle3',  for 
many  years  an  effective  Sunday  School  worker,  who  left  us  in  1872  ;  for  a 
time  the  pastor  acted  as  Superintendent  ;  John  E.  Allen,  the  present 
efficient  leader,  was  chosen  in  1S75.  In  June,  1S70,  the  church  had  tlo 
Women's  Society,  Home  or  Foreign,  no  Young  Woman's  Society,  no 
Young  Men's  Societ3',  no  Boys'  or  Girls' Society,  no  Ladies'  Aid  Societ3'. 
The  past  quarter  cetltury  has  been  a   period  of  wonderful  discoveries'. 


27 

Edison  and  Bessemer,  Koch  and  Pasteur  have  enlarged  the  domain  of 
science.  It  was  a  wonderful  moral  discovery  when  woman's  organized 
work  for  women  began.  In  1871  our  Woman's  Foreign  Mission  work 
began  in  the  Baptist  Churches  of  our  land.  On  April  29,  1872,  the 
Woman's  Society  in  this  church  was  organized.  The  Home  INIission 
Society  was  organized  in  18.S1.  The  Young  Women  were  organized  into 
the  Farther  Lights  Society  May  13,  18S9,  having  previously  been  members 
of  a  mission  society  composed  of  boys  and  girls.  The  Young  Men's  Mis- 
sionary Society,  the  Little  Helper's  Mission  Society  are  the  5'oung  men, 
the  bojs  and  girls  organized  and  in  training  to  help  Christ  get  hold  of  the 
world.  The  church  exists  to  seize  hold  of  all  that  for  which  Christ  died. 
By  necessity  Christ's  church  must  be  a  missionary'  church.  The  entire 
sum  rai.sed  by  these  various  missionary  organizations  amounts  to  $3, 143.15- 
More  than  twentj'-five  j'ears  ago  there  was  on  Sunday  evening,  prior  to 
church  service,  a  meeting  for  young  people.  But  there  was  no  organiza- 
tion. These  services  were  almost  entirely  under  the  direct  charge  of  the 
pastor.  On  December  22,  1886,  the  Endeavor  Society  was  organized.  It 
has  proved  to  be  one  of  the  most  efficient  helpers  of  the  church.  It  has 
kept  alive  a  devotional  spirit,  it  has  watched  over  the  young,  it  has  been 
fruitful  in  labors,  it  has  won  many  to  Christ,  it  has  built  up  j'oung  men 
and  women  in  Christ,  it  has  carried  Christ  into  homes  through  cottage 
prayer  meetings,  it  has  ministered  to  intellectual  needs  by  its  courses  of 
lectures.  Blessings  be  upon  it.  In  no  instance  has  the  Endeavor  Society 
been  anything  but  a  helping  and  helpful  agency.  The  Junior  Endeavor 
Society  was  organized  in  1894.  Ma^^  Jesus  Christ  form  out  of  these  bo3-s 
and  girls,  the  men  and  women  of  a  few  3ears  hence,  those  who  shall  be 
pillars  of  his  cause  in  this  community.  The  Little  Helpers  Mission  Band 
was  re-organized  last  year.  The  Young  ]Men's  Missionary  Society  was 
formed  November  3,  1893.  The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  has  been  in  existence 
thirteen  years,  having  been  formed  in  1S82.  It  has  made  its  power  felt 
everywhere.  It  has  been  a  true,  tried  helper  of  the  church  in  every  way. 
It  is  rightly  called  an  Aid  Society.  Its  President  from  the  first  has  been 
Mrs.  M.  M.  Job.  The  higher  the  life,  the  higher  is  the  complexity  of  the 
organization.  A  church  is  not  a  sponge,  a  low  kind  of  life,  but  a  living 
body  with  one  end  in  view,  getting  men  and  Christ  near  together.  The 
various  organizations  in  the  church  do  not  show  an  undue  reliance  upon 
mere  machinery,  but  are  exhibitions  of  the  desire  of  the  church  to  adapt 
itself  to  a  new  age  by  new  methods  of  work.  Blessings  on  all  agencies 
that  seek  to  glorify  God,  to  save  men,  to  help  the  church.      We  must  put 


28 

new  life  and  power  into  all  these  agencies.  We  do  not  now  need  more 
machinery,  but  more  power  in  it,  more  effectiveness.  A  sense  of  duty 
toward  Christ  should  lead  to  an  earnest  doing-  for  Christ. 

V.  God  has  granted  an  enlarged  heart  to  the  chtirch  for  helping  his 
cause.  The  finest  thing  that  we  have  done  is  the  establishing  of  the 
church  at  Jamesburg.  It  is  our  child — it  was  our  Mission.  The  members 
there  were  all  received  into  our  fellowship.  The  Mi.ssion  was  established 
May  iS,  1S85,  under  the  leadership  of  Rev.  C.  A.  Schlipf  who  remained 
as  pastor  until  1S94.  The  house  of  worship  was  dedicated  February  16, 
1S87.  The  church  was  recognized  as  a  Baptist  church  October  16,  1S94. 
It  has  a  property  worth  five  thousand  dollars,  with  an  incumbrance  of 
eight  hundred  dollars  upon  the  parsonage.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev. 
H.  C.  Baum,  who  was  recently  ordained.  We  dismissed  fifty-four  mem- 
bers October  4,  1894,  to  form  themselves  into  a  church.  This  is  the  sixth 
church  formed  from  our  membership — First  Trenton,  Hamilton  Square, 
Penns  Neck,  Manasquan,  Washington,  Jamesburg.  We  have  lighted 
these  candles  that  by  the  grace  of  God  will  not  cease  to  burn  until  He 
shall  come  again.  We  also  established  the  Livingstone  Home  for  the 
aged  members  of  the  church.  This  property  purchased  in  1893  at  a  cost 
of  four  thousand  dollars,  will  soon,  it  is  hoped,  be  freed  from  debt.  In 
this  Home  two  of  our  members  find  a  real  home  life.  The  needy  of  our 
church  will  never  be  cared  for  at  the  public  expense.  The  benevolent 
contributions  so  far  as  reported,  have  been  $29,505.70.  Large  sums  have 
been  given  privately  and  are  not  included  in  this  amount.  The  real 
measure  of  Christlikeness  in  a  church  is  not  what  it  does  for  itself  but 
what  it  does  for  others.  Dr.  Broadus  declared  the  three  tests  of  a  holy 
church  to  be  Bible  stud}',  the  prayer  meeting  and  giving  for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions. These  three  things  involve  a  looking  into  the  Book  to  see  what  is 
the  will  of  Christ — the  looking  upward  for  His  blessing,  the  looking  out- 
ward to  help  others.  May  we,  all  of  us,  be  concerned  to  know  the  will  of 
Christ  for  ourselves,  be  concerned  for  every  man  in  this  community,  be 
concerned  for  all  good  causes,  be  concerned  for  all  the  things  that  touch 
His  heart. 

We  have  helped  Christ's  cause  in  other  places  by  giving  them  choice 
men  and  women  from  our  membership.  We  have  dismissed  by  letter  to 
other  churches  three  hundred  and  ninety-eight  members.  Many  of  these 
seemed  to  be  almost  indispensable  to  us.  We  rejoice  in  the  usefulness  of 
those  who  have  gone  out  from  us.  We  have  given  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry   in   these  years   William  C.  Martin,   now  pastor  of  the  Baptist 


^9 

church,  at  Noank,  Conn;  W.  W.  Wakeman,  pastor  of  the  church  at  New 
Hampton,  N.  H.  We  licensed  to  preach  John  B.  L'Hommedieu,  now 
pastor  of  the  Sherman  Avenue  Baptist  Church,  Newark,  N.  J.;  L.  H.  Cope- 
land,  pastor  of  the  church  at  vSkowhegan,  Me.;  A.  W.  Stockwin,  now  in 
England;  Joseph  Schlipf  and  Theodore  Baunigardner,  now  in  the  Roches- 
ter Theological  Seminary;  Charles  R.Bacon,  now  in  the  Newton  Theo- 
logical Seminary.  Dr.  Enoch  Perrine,  of  Bucknell  University,  has  been 
licensed  to  preach  since  leaving  us.  It  is  the  mission  of  a  country  church 
to  get  men,  train  them  for  service  and  then  give  them  to  others.  In 
twenty-five  years  we  have  given  to  other  churches  by  letter  one  hundred 
and  sixty  more  members  than  we  have  received  by  letter.  But,  as  a  rule, 
a  church  will  grow  best  by  giving  its  best.     Selfishness  is  never  Christlike. 

VI.  God  has  given  to  the  church  new  conceptions  of  the  purpose  and  mis- 
sion of  the  Christian  and  the  church  life  in  these  rece7it  years.  It  is  seen 
now,  as  never  before,  that  Christianity  and  the  church  have  much  to  do  in 
the  life  that  now  is.  The  church  must  not  aim  merely  or  exclusively  to 
get  men  to  heaven,  but  also  must  strive  to  bring  heaven  down  to  earth. 
Christ  came  to  be  Savior  of  the  soul — became  also  to  save  all  the  man. 
We  must  save  all  the  life,  must  save  society,  must  create  all  healthy 
moral  influences,  must  watch  over  the  beginning  of  life.  And  therefore 
the  church  must  keep  at  work,  not  on  Sunday  alone,  but  on  seven  days 
of  the  week.  If  the  saloon  opens  its  doors  every  day  and  night,  why 
should  not  the  church?  Whj'  should  not  this  church  have  a  reading 
room,  a  night  school,  a  public  library  ?  Why  should  it  not  give  attention 
to  a  Boy's  Club  as  a  strictly  religious  work.  The  church  must  care  for 
men  and  work  among  men  that  it  may,  first,  get  them  and  then  present 
them  perfect  in  Christ  Jesus.  There  is  nothing  secular,  or  common,  or 
unclean  that  may  be  made  use  of  for  helping  people  in  the  Christian  life. 
Every  secular  thing  becomes  a  sacred  thing  when  used  for  sacred  pur- 
poses. Let  us  strive  to  make  this  church  a  helping  and  helpful  church 
as  Christ  was  a  helping  Christ.  It  cannot  do  too  much  for  men  or  Christ. 
Our  Christianity  must  be  an  applied  Christianitj-. 

VII.  A  backward  look.  During  these  twenty-five  years  great  changes 
have  taken  place.  No  church  in  the  Association  has  the  same  pastor  it 
had  in  1870.  Of  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  Baptist  churches  only  two 
pastors  are  in  the  position  the}'  filled  twenty-five  years  ago.  Dr.  Yerkes, 
of  Plainfield;  Rev.  T.  M.  Crenelle,  of  Glenwood.  During  these  years  have 
come  the  telephone,  the  phonograph,  electric  lighting,  electric  power. 
France  and  Brazil  have  become  republics — the  German  Empire  has  been 


30 

formed — slavery  has  been  abolished  the  world  over — the  W.  C.  T.  U. 
began  its  wonderful  work.  The  churches  in  this  State  have  grown  from 
145  to  257.  The  Baptists  in  our  Country  have  grown  to  four  million. 
During  this  period  has  been  the  wonderful  work  among  the  Telugus  and 
the  opening  of  the  heart  of  Africa  to  mission  work.  The  whole  world  lies 
open  to  Missionary  effort.  The  student's  volunteer  mission  movement 
has  been  established  with  its  motto — "The  entire  world  should  know  of 
Christ  before  this  century  closes."  This  age  has  discovered  the  power  of 
organized  woman's  work  and  the  worth  of  the  j'oung  people.  Peddie 
Institute  twenty-five  years  ago  was  in  debt  $100,000.  To  day  it  has  a  pro- 
ductive endowment  of  $170,000.  This  school  was  carried  for  years  on  the 
heart  of  members  of  our  church,  men  like  Enoch  Allen,  Rev.  J.  E.  Rue, 
Matthew  Rue.  The  endowment  and  property  of  the  Baptist  schools  in  our 
land  has  increased  from  three  and  one-half  millions  to  thirty-six  and  one- 
half  millions. 

We  have  been  blessed  in  having  many  ministers  in  our  member.ship,  of 
these  D.  P.  Perdun,  E.  J.  Avery,  John  Seger,  J.  E.  Rue  and  Lyman  Chase 
are  dead.  L.  O.  Grenelle,  M.  N.  Smith,  C.  M.  Deitz,  E.  P.  Bond,  J.  A. 
Metz,  C.  A.  Schlipf  have  transferred  their  membership.  Dr.  G.  W.  Clark, 
Dr.  J.  E.  Perry  and  Rev.  W.  C.  Ulyat  have  their  membership  with  us  and 
render  efficient  service. 

The  Church  Clerks  during  the  period,  have  been  John  Wooley,  James 
Paxton,  Hiram  Mount,  T.  C.  Young,  J.  M.  Cubberly,  W.  P.  Forman, 
Charles  E.  Cole,  C.  B.  Cole,  C.  E.  Stults.  The  Church  Treasurers  have 
been  Daniel  Slack,  W.  P.  Forman,  John  Jemison.  The  organists  have 
been  Misses  Jennie  Fairbanks,  Maggie  Morrison,  Nettie  Grenelle,  Rosa 
Murden,  Addie  Silver,  Carrie  Clark,  Luella  Reed,  Mr.  D.  P.  Hoagland, 
Miss  Ida  Hoagland.  The  sexton,  D.  W.  Perrine,  has  served  since  1S63. 
During  these  years  the  following  former  pastors  of  the  church  have  died; 
John  Seger,  George  Young,  E.  M.  Barker,  Lyman  Chase,  Isaac  Butter- 
field.  Only  one  former  pastor  now  survives;  J.  B.  Saxton,  living  in  Cali- 
fornia, past  his  four  score  years.  As  we  look  over  the  past  we  may 
thank  God  for  unity,  peace,  prosperity  in  temporal  matters,  souls  saved, 
some  good  done.  As  a  church  we  may  put  up  a  stone  and  say — 
Eben-ezer. 

VIII.  An  onward  look .  What  shall  we  do  for  gaining  men  for  Christ 
and  perfecting  them  in  Christ.  We  need  new  and  larger  and  better  facil- 
ities for  doing  Christ's  work.  What  answered  twenty-five  years  ago  will 
not  answer  to-day.     We  need  better  facilities  for  Sunday  School  work, 


31 

with  separate  rooms  for  the  classes.  We  need  a  reading  room,,  a  place 
where  the  boys  and  young  men  may  be  gathered  together  for  a  night  each 
week.  If  we  care  for  the  boys,  the  girls,  the  young  men,  the  young 
women  of  to-day,  for  Christ's  sake,  this  church  will  grow  stronger  and 
stronger  year  by  j-ear.  We  must  care  for  the  future  by  caring  for  to-day. 
Before  igoo  comes  this  church  ought  to  liave  a  house  of  worship  more 
fitted  for  Christian  work.  Pride  should  have  no  place  in  this,  but  the 
desire  to  do  better  things  for  Christ,  who  will  be  here  twenty-five  years 
hence,  and  His  cause.  Be  sure  that  if  you  are  not  on  the  earth,  that 
you  will  be  in  heaven.  What  a  church  this  would  be  if  every  member 
were  a  holy  man  of  God,  if  there  were  family  prayer  in  every  household, 
if  there  were  a  universal  interest  in  Bible  study,  if  all  took  a  personal 
interest  in  all  good  causes,  if  every  member  were  a  witnessing  christian, 
if  the  church  shone  with  a  steady  light  every  day,  if  there  were  new  and 
better  facilities  for  Christian  work.  Let  us  strive  to  build  up  in  each 
member  a  better  and  more  intelligent  Christian  life  and  build  up  the  com- 
munity in  righteousness.  Before  November,  1S95,  we  ought  to  remove 
the  debt  of  less  than  two  thousand  dollars  that  hangs  upon  us.  Before 
November,  1S95,  we  ought  to  be  planning  how  we  can  be  better  men  and 
women,  liow  we  ma}'  work  more  effectively,  how  we  may  add  believers  to 
the  church.  In  five  years  more  we  shall  enter  upon  the  twentieth  cen- 
tury. May  we  help  to  make  the  closing  years  of  this  century  the  highest 
and  best  in  our  own  personal  experience,  in  the  history  of  the  church,  in 
the  impress  made  upon  the  community.  In  the  next  twent\--five  years 
what  wonderful  changes  will  occur,  what  a  marvelous  growth  in  the 
material  life  and  resources  !  The  bo3's  of  to-day  will  then  be  the  men,  the 
pillars,  the  leaders.  The  larger  part  of  the  membership  will  not  then  be 
here  One  hundred  millions  and  more  will  be  in  our  land.  Mechanical 
inventions  will  go  on  with  rapid  speed.  May  it  also  be  that  every  Chris- 
tian man  will  grow  more  Christlike,  that  every  hurtful  thing  like  the 
saloon  will  be  destroyed  b}'  the  aroused  Christian  spirit,  that  God's  bles- 
sing may  overshadow  us.  Some  things  ought  to  be  done  to-day.  Every 
one  not  a  Christian,  should  decide  here  and  now  to  become  a  Christian. 
The  sun  of  to-day,  should  not  go  down  upon  an  unsaved  soul.  All  hesi- 
tancy should  give  way  to  decision.  Every  Christian  neglecting  a  duty, 
should  to-day  begin  a  life  of  duty.  Every  life  lived  for  self,  should  give 
way  to  a  life  lived  for  Christ.  In  the  next  twenty-five  years  may  there  be 
not  six  hundred  and  fifty  baptisms,  but  one  thousand,  fifteen  hundred, 
with  what  number  shall  we  stop!      If  the  Lord  Jesus  were  here  he  would 


3'2' 

say,  "According  to  your  faitli  be  it  unto  you."  We  may  all  influence  the' 
unseen  days  and  the  unseen  people  who  shall  crowd  this  community' 
twentj'-five  years  hence  by  living  to-day — a  Godly  life.  There  were  men 
and  women  living  in  1870,  whose  bodies  have  long  been  sleeping  quietly 
in  the  grave  j-ard,  who  are  blessedly  influencing  us  in  1895.  They  live 
after  they  are  dead  because  they  lived  much  while  they  lived  on  the  earth. 
Be  a  christian,  be  a  Christlike  christian,  be  a  helping  christian.  Help 
Christ  and  his  church.  Live  in  the  highest  st\'le  of  living.  Help  Jesus 
Christ  in  1S95  and  you  will  help  Christ, in  a  very  effective  manner  in  1920 
and  beyond. 

May  the  Lord  bless  us  and  keep  us  ;  may  the  Lord  lift  upon  us  the 
light  of  his  countenance  and  be  gracious  to  us  ;  may  the  Lord  cause  his 
face  to  shine  upon  us  and  grant  us  peace.     Amen. 

The  evening  service  was  taken  up  by  the  various  Societies  of  the 
church.  The  other  churches  of  the  village  gave  up  their  services  to 
unite  in  this.  The  audience  was  large.  The  opening  prayer  was 
offered  by  Rev.  E.  G.  Mason,  and  Rev.  J.  L.  Howard  made  the 
closing  prayer.  Drs.  Tyack,  Perry,  Clark  and  Mr.  J.  H.  Butcher 
took  part  in  the  services.  Reports  of  the  Societies  of  the  church 
were  read  as  follows  :  Young  Men's  Missionary  Society,  by  Frank 
Pullen,  Jr.  ;  Christian  Culture  Course,  Miss  Ada  V.  Hutchinson  ; 
Junior  Christian  Endeavor,  Miss  Grace  Clevenger ;  Christian  En- 
deavor, C.  Boud  Cole  :  Woman's  Foreign  Mi.ssionary  Society,  Miss 
Bertha  R.  Clark  ;  Junior  Mi.ssion  Band,  Miss  Luella  Dey  ;  Farther 
Lights  Mission  Band,  Mi.ss  Mina  Tracey  ;  The  Sunday  School,  John 
E.  Allen. 

The  addresses  and  reports  were  of  great  interest,  and  interspersed 
with  song.  Dr.  Eaches  closed  with  some  fitting  remarks.  Thus 
ended  the  exercises  of  the  pastor's  twenty-fifth  annniversary,  which 
proved  to  be  most  profitable  to  the  church  and  one  of  the  most 
interesting  occasions  in  the  history  of  the  church. 


33 


THE  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTIETH 

ANNIVERSARY. 


At  a  meeting  held  Dec.  27th,  1894,  the  following  action  was  taken  : 

The  deacons  and  the  trustees  of  the  church,  having  been  appointed 
by  the  church  to  nominate  a  committee  to  make  preparation  for  the 
fitting  observance  of  the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the 
founding  of  the  church,  make  report  that  they  have  agreed  upon  the 
following— Dr.  G.  W.  Clark,  Dr.  J.  E.  Perry,  John  E.  Allen,  J.  D. 
Chamberlain,  Thomas  M.  Dey,  Ja.sper  Hutchinson,  Mrs.  M.  M.  Job, 
Mrs.  Forman  Hutchinson  and  Dr.  O.  P.  Eaches. 

The  Committee  recommend  that  the  above  named  Conmiittee  have 
power  to  call  to  their  help  such  sub-committes  as  they  may  think  best. 

The  recommendations  were  concurred  in  by  the  church. 

The  Committee  organized  by  appointing  Dr.  G.  W.  Clark  chair- 
man. The  following  program  was  prepared  for  the  anniversary 
exercises. 

PROGRAMME. 
Wedni-:sday  evening,  Octobek  30th. 
7.30.     Roll  Call  of  membership  from  A  to  G,  inclusive. 

Thursday  evening,  October  31st. 
7.30.     Roll  Call  of  membership  from  H  to  Z. 

Frid.ay  morning,  November  ist. 
10.30.     Devotional  exercises. 
11.00.     Historj'  of  the  Church  b\'  the  pastor. 

Afternoon. 
2.00.     Opening  exercises  b}-  Rev.  J.  L.  Howard,  of  M.  E.  Church. 
2.15.     Address  by   Rev.    W.  H.  J.   Parker,  of  Middletown, — our  mother 

Church.     "  The  position  of  Baptists  150  years  ago." 
2.30.     Address  by  Rev.  F.  C.  Brown,  of  Manasquan, — a  daughter  Church. 
Topic,   "  What  Baptist  Churches  stand  for." 


34 

2.45-  Address  by  Rev.  W.  T.  Galloway,  of  Hamilton  Square,— a 
daughter  Church.  Topic,  "Fidelity  to  the  N.  T.  always  and 
everywhere." 

3.00.  Address  by  Rev.  W.  W.  Bullock,  of  Allentown.  Topic,  "The 
Church  grows  by  giving." 

3.10.     Address  b}'  Rev.  J.  Huffnagle,  of  Imlaystown.     Topic,     "  How  we 

may  enlarge  the  Church  numerically." 
3.20.     Address  by  Rev.   M.  N.  Smith,  of  Marlboro.     Topic,     "  How  we 

may  build  up  the  Church  spiritually." 
3.30      Address  by  Rev.   H  Baum,  of  Jamesburg, — a  daughter  Church. 

Topic,   "  Caring  for  the  stranger  within  the  gates." 
3.40.     Address  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Hyatt,  of  Bethlehem,  N.  J., — a  licentiate  of 

the  Church.     Topic,     "  Personal  Reminiscences." 
3.50.     Tri-Jubilee  Hymn  by  Robert  Lowry,  D.  D. 
4.00.     Unveiling  the  portraits  of  former  Pastors. 
4.15.     Reading  letters  from  former  members  of  the  Church. 

Evening. 

7.30.     Opening  exercises  bj^  Rev.  Thomas  Tyack,  D.  D.,  of  Presbyterian 

Church. 
7.45.     Address  by   Rev.    M.   P.    Fikes,    of  First   Trenton,— a   daughter 

Church.'  Topic,     "  What  Baptists  have  wrought  in  150  years." 
8.00.     Address  by  Rev.  T.  S.  Griffiths,  of  Penns  Neck,— a  daughter  Church. 

Topic,     "  Characteristics  of  Baptist  Churches  in  New  Jersey." 
8.15.     Address  by  Rev.  J.  B.  L'Hommedieu,  of  Newark,—  a  licentiate  of 

the   Church.     Topic,     "The   Church   of  to-day   moulding  the 

future." 
8.30.     Anniversary    Hymn    by   Rev.    F.    Denison.     Anniversary  Ode  by 

Rev.  S.  Giffard  Nelson,  L-  H.  D.,  of  Mt.  Holly. 

Sunday  morning,  Novembek  3rd. 

10.00.  vSpecial  Sunday-School  service.  Address  by  John  E.  Allen,  Enoch 
Barker,  Mrs.  Mary  Barker  and  Mrs.  Philip  F.  Botzong. 

11.00.  Anniversary  sermon  by  Dr.  G.  W.  Clark.  Paper  by  Miss  Bertha 
R.  Clark,     "  Woman's  work  in  the  Church." 

Afternoon. 
3.00.     Special  Junior  service. 

Evening. 

6.30.  Special  Endeavor  meeting.  Addresses  and  papers  by  P.  F.  Bot- 
zong, Isaac  E.  Charaberlin,  Miss  Ada  Hutchinson,  and  the 
former  Presidents  of  the  Society. 

7.30.  Paper  by  Mrs.  N.  C.  Schlottman.  "  What  the  young  people  must 
do  for  the  Church."  Address  by  D.  Hart  Cunningham,  "What 
the  men  must  do  for  the  Church."  Address  by  Dr.  J.  E,  Perry, 
"  Dedicating  ourselves  to  service  for  the  future." 


35 
The  following  invitation  was  sent  out  for  the  Roll  Call. 
1745.  1895. 

HIGHTSTOWN  BAPTIST  CHURCH 


To  all  the  Members  of  the  Church  : 

On  November  ist  our  Church  will  be  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  old. 
It  is  a  matter  of  thanksgiving  that  during  all  this  time  God  has  watched 
over  us  and  blessed  us.  On  Friday,  November  ist,  there  will  be  an  all  day 
service.  In  the  morning,  in  the  afternoon,  and  at  night,  it  is  planned  to 
hold  services  commemorative  of  the  past.  It  will  be  fitting  also  to  dedi- 
cate our  Church  and  ourselves  to  a  larger  life  in  the  future. 

Lunch  will  be  .served  so  that  we  may  spend  the  day  as  one  family.  Let 
every  member  devote  this  da}'  to  worship  with  us. 

On  Sunday  also  special  services  will  be  held. 

Preliminary  to  these  services  and  as  introducing  them  will  be  a  Roll 
Call  of  the  members.  Two  nights  have  been  set  apart  for  this  service. 
On  Wednesday  night,  October  30th,  all  the  names  from  A  to  G  will  be 
called.  On  Thursdaj-  night,  October  31st,  the  remaining  names  will  be 
called  beginning  with  H.  Will  not  E  VER  V  member  strive  to  be  present 
when  his  name  is  called.  If  you  are  sure  that  you  cannot  be  present  will 
you  not  send  a  message  or  pas.sage  of  scripture  to  be  read  when  your  name 
is  called.  Be  present  in  person  if  possible  with  a  short  testimony,  passage 
of  scripture  or  praj-er.  Make  a  sacrifice  to  be  there.  Make  it  for  yourself 
a  time  of  renewed  dedication  to  the  service  of  Christ. 

Help  others  to  come.  Give  a  word  of  exhortation  to  the  faint  hearted. 
We  desire  a  word  from  the  aged,  the  siel:,  iha  infirm ,  the  a dsent.  If  all 
cannot  be  present  in  person,  we  desire  the  hearts  and  prayers  and  messages 
of  all. 

EBEN-EZER. 

Do  not  forget  these  dates.  Pray  that  this  time  may  be  a  good  time  for 
our  Church.     Help  to  make  it  a  success.     May  we  not  depend  on  jyoii  f 

Let  us  dedicate  our  meeting  house  and  ourselves  to  a  better  service  to 
Him  in  the  days  to  come. 

Praying  that  we  may  all  be  spared  to  meet  in  this  service  and  finally 
join  in  the  better  service  above, 

I  am  sincerely  yours  in  Church  Fellowship, 

O.  P.  BACHES,  Pastor. 


36 

The  Roll  Call,  October  30  and  31. 
The  first  Roll  Call  took  place  Wednesday  evening,  October  30th. 
The  pastor  read  from  L,iike  x  :  17-19,  and  Rev.  iii  :  5.  The  names 
from  A  to  H  inclusive  were  called.  About  ninet}'  per  cent,  of  the 
members  were  present  in  person  or  by  message.  The  second  Roll 
Call  took  place  on  Thursday  evening.  The  pastor  read  from  Mai. 
iv  :  16-18,  John  x  :  10-16,  Eph.  ii  :  19.  A  heav}'  storm  prevented 
the  attendance  of  many  who  had  planned  to  be  present.  Among 
those  taking  part  were  Mrs.  Eliza  Pullen,  Mrs.  Ellen  Rue,  Mi.ss 
Ruth  Dey,  who  had  been  members  fift)- -seven  j^ears.  Several  others 
had  been  members  over  fift}^  years.  Very  touching  were  the  mes- 
sages of  some  past  eighty  years,  who  hoped  .soon  to  respond  to  the 
Roll  Call  above. 

Friday  Morning,  November  ist. 

The  devotional  exercises  began  at  10.30,  by  singing  "  All  hail  the 
power  of  Jesus'  name."  The  pastor  read  from  the  old  Bible,  in  use 
more  than  a  century  ago,  i  Sam.  7:12.  Rev.  A.  S.  Flock,  lately 
pastor  at  Cedarville,  led  in  prayer. 

A  large  number  who  could  not  be  present  at  the  Roll  Call  took  part 
in  testimony.  The  hymns  were  such  as  might  have  been  sung  in 
1745  at  the  founding  of  the  Church — "Bless  oh  my  soul  the  living 
God,"  "God  is  the  refuge  of  his  saints, "  "What  shall  I  render  to 
my  God" — all  written  b}^  Dr.  Watts. 

After  these  exercises,  at  11  A.  M.  the  pastor  read  in  part,  the 
following  historical  sketch  of  the  Church. 


p 


37 


HISTORY  OF  THE 

HIGHTSTOWN  BAPTIST  CHURCH. 


Nearly  two  hundred  years  ago  the  foundations  of  our  church  began  to 
be  laid.  It  was  not  then  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  but  the  Provinces  of 
East  and  West  Jersey.  Our  church  was  in  the  Province  of  East  Jersey, 
whose  Capital  was  Perth  Amboy,  whose  Governor,  at  the  time  of  the  in- 
troduction of  Baptist  preaching  in  this  vicinity,  was  Lewis  Edward,  Lord 
Cornbury.  Not  a  thought  of  separation  from  the  mother  land  had  come 
into  the  hearts  of  our  forefathers  and  all  were  loyal  Englishmen.  The 
Philadelphia  Association,  of  which  this  church  was  a  member,  in  1769, 
when  considering  a  petition  to  the  King  for  the  relief  of  the  suffering 
Baptist  brotherhood  in  New  England  calls  him  "  Our  Gracious  Soverign." 
The  Baptists  of  the  Jerseys  were  loyal  to  Christ  and  to  the  English  crown. 

They  are  far  off  days  when  Baptist  ministers  began  to  come  into  the 
neighborhood  in  1706.  In  New  England  King  Philip's  Indian  war  had 
closed  but  a  few  years  before.  That  glorious  revolution  in  England 
whereby  despotism  and  papal  supremacy  had  been  forever  driven  away 
from  English  soil  in  the  person  of  James— whereby  the  English  language 
had  forever  been  consecrated  to  human  freedom  — this  had  taken  place 
only  twenty  years  before.  John  Bunyan  about  the  same  time  had  pub- 
lished the  "Pilgrim's  Progress."  It  is  doubtful  whether  any  of  the  old 
time  forefathers  of  this  Church  had  ever  seen  this  book,  John  Milton, 
but  a  few  years  before  had  published  his  "  Paradise  Lost."  Sir  Isaac 
Newton,  at  this  time,  was  establishing  the  theory  of  gravitation.  It  was 
an  era  when  great  men  were  living — when  great  thoughts  were  born — 
when  great  books  were  made. 

George  Washington  was  not  yet  born  —was  not  born  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century  to  come.  Yale  College  was  founded  only  five  years  before.  Cotton 
Mather,  the  New  England  minister,  did  not  die  until  twenty  years  after- 
ward. At  that  time  there  was  no  post  office  in  New  York.  Trenton  and 
New^  Orleans  were  not  yet  founded.  One  newspaper  had  been  established 
two  years  before  in  Boston.  Some  of  our  Baptist  forefathers  who  listened 
to  the  first  recorded  Baptist  preaching  in  this  neighborhood,  were  born 
within  twenty  years  of  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth.  Some 
of  them  may  have  seen   Cromwell,  or  Milton,  or  Governor  Winthrop,  or 


38 

Miles  Standish  ;  may  have  heard  John   Bunyan,  or  Roger  Williams,  or 
John  Clark  of  Newport,  or  Cotton  Mather,  or  John  Cotton. 

In  that  far  off  day  the  era  of  invention  had  not  yet  arisen.  The  stage 
route  had  not  even  yet  been  born.  It  was  a  time  of  small  things  seem- 
ingly. Simplicity  and  quietness  and  isolation  from  each  other  held  sway. 
They  had  few  luxuries.  They  had  almost  no  books.  They  had  nothing 
of  the  teeming  literature  that  now  swamps  the  home.  But  there  were 
good  and  true  men  and  women  in  those  days  who  knew  how  to  live 
purely,  to  think  clearly,  to  cultivate  a  high  moral  and  spiritual  life. 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  BAPTIST  CHURCHES. 
When  the  Middletown  pastor  began  to  preach  in  an  occasional  way  in 
this  vicinity  in  1706,  there  were  in  this  country  only  thirteen  little  groups 
of  people  holding  our  views  of  New  Testament  teaching.  Of  these,  three 
were  in  this  State,  Middletown,  our  mother  church,  founded  in  1688  ;  Pis- 
cataway  in  1689  ;  Cohansey  in  1690.  There  were  not  over  five  hundred 
Baptists  in  all  probability  at  that  time,  in  our  land.  Little  did  the  men 
of  that  day  dream  of  the  great  things  that  would  follow  in  the  after  years. 
They  were  true  to  their  present  light  and  convictions,  and  thus  became 
benefactors  of  the  after  centuries.  The  oldest  church  of  our  distinctive 
belief  was  founded  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  in  1639. 

THE  FOUNDING  OF  OUR  CHURCH. 
Edward's  History  of  the  Baptist  Churches  of  New  Jersey  states  that 
there  was  Baptist  preaching  in  this  vicinity  in  the  year  1706.  The  pastors 
of  that  day  had  large  missionary  hearts.  It  is  not  known  who  these  men 
were,  but  in  all  probability  they  were  the  pastors  from  Middletown  in  this 
State  and  Pennepek  in  Pennsylvania.  By  the  year  1745  there  were  seven- 
teen men  and  women  holding  our  views  in  this  vicinity.  All  of  them 
were  members  of  the  Middletown  church.  Without  doubt  the  members 
resident  here  often  attended  the  services  at  the  mother  church.  In  those 
days  miles  were  not  obstacles.  It  is  within  the  memory  of  persons  now 
living  that  members  would  walk  ten  or  more  miles  to  attend  worship. 
During  the  present  pastorate,  one  good  woman  was  accustomed  to  walk 
to  church  a  distance  of  six  miles.  Without  doubt  also  services  were  held 
in  the  homes  of  the  members  in  this  vicinity.  Many  a  log  house  in  these 
days,  became  a  Bethel.  Distance  from  the  home  church  and  growing 
numbers  led  to  a  desire  to  have  a  church  of  their  own.  In  the  records  of 
the  Philadelphia  Association  we  find  the  following  minute  :  "  Agreed  and 
concluded,  pursuant  to  requests  made  by  the  brethren  about  Cranbury, 


'39 

that  Brethren  Nathaniel  Jenkins  and  Jenkin  Jones  be  at  Cranbury  Friday, 
the  first  day  of  November,  in  order  to  settle  the  members  there  in  church 
order." 

On  this  day  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago  these  two  Godly  ministers 
met  with  the  brethren  in  some  homestead  in  or  near  Cranbury.  Nathaniel 
Jenkins  travelled  one  hundred  miles  to  reach  the  place  appointed.  He 
was  at  that  time  pastor  of  the  Cohansey  church  near  Bridgeton.  He  was  a 
man  of  mark.  He  was  a  member  of  the  lycgislature  in  1721,  and  sturdily 
maintained  the  rights  of  men  to  think  freely  without  fear  of  the  law. 
Jenkin  Jones  was  pastor  of  the  Pennepek  church  in  Philadelphia.  He 
also  was  a  man  of  ability  and  a  good  man.  That  Friday  was  a  day  of 
prayer,  of  scripture  exposition,  of  enquiry  as  to  doctrinal  belief.  And 
then  it  became  a  day  when  a  solemn  league  and  covenant  was  formed. 
The  seventeen  men  and  women  entered  into  a  compact  to  serve  Christ,  to 
maintain  the  truth  as  they  saw  it,  to  help  each  other,  to  live  holy  lives. 
The  original  record  book,  bearing  date  November  i,  1745,  is  yet  in  the 
possession  of  the  church  in  good  preservation.  It  begins  in  this  way  r— 
"  The  church  book  of  the  Baptists  at  Cranbury,  the  people  owning  and 
embracing  believer's  baptism  according  to  the  example  of  our  Lord  and 
Master  Jesus  Christ,  constituted  and  settled  the  first  day  of  November  in 
Gospel  order  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
forty-five,  and  we  the  members  of  the  said  church  have  covenanted  as 
follows  : 

The  Church  Covenant  is  a  model  of  simplicity  and  of  scripturalness. 
It  is  called  "  The  Solemn  Covenant  of  the  Church  at  its  Constitution." 

They  Covenant  to  obey  Christ,  to  walk  in  a  holy  way,  to  help  each 
other  in  the  Christian  life,  to  strive  to  spread  the  kingdom,  to  support 
the  church,  not  to  go  to  law  with  each  other. 

There  were  seventeen  constituent  members,  all  of  whom  were  dismissed 
from  the  Middletown  Church  Their  names  are  as  follows:  James  Car- 
man, William  Cheeseman,  William  Cheeseman,  Jr.,  Samuel  Cheeseman. 
John  Dye,  Thomas  Morford,  Moses  Hull,  John  Hight,  Malakia  Bonhara, 
Martha  Cheeseman,  Catharine  Cheeseman,  Mary  Dye,  Abigail  Morford, 
Mary  Hight,  Margaret  Carman.  Catharine  Morris,  Joanna  Flavel. 

We  do  not  know  where  any  of  these  old  homesteads  were  except  that  of 
John  Hight,  from  whom  this  town  took  its  name.  He  lived  in  a  log 
cabin  on  the  north  side  of  the  stream  that  flows  through  our  town,  not 
far  from  the  bridge  that  now  spans  it.  Doubtless  many  devotional  meet- 
ings were  held  in  this  old  log  house. 


40 

The  newly  formed  churches  in  these  dajs  were  small  in  number.  The 
Piscataway  church  formed  in  1689  had  six  male  members  ;  the  Cohansey 
in  1690  had  nine  men.  In  our  church  at  its  organization  were  nine  men 
and  eight  women.  Of  most  of  these  we  know  nothing,  except  they  were 
the  foundation  stones  of  our  church.  This  we  know — they  were  men  who 
believed  something  and  knew  why  they  believed  it.  They  were  far- 
sighted  men.  They  were  men  who  had  in  them  the  spirit  of  worship, 
They  lighted  a  candle  that,  by  God's  grace,  has  been  shining  for  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years.  At  the  end  of  each  name  in  the  old  record 
book  stands  one  suggestive  word — Dead.  Long  since  these  men  and 
women  have  been  sleeping — -bnt  their  work  abides.  They  started  influ- 
ences that  will  go  on  for  centuries  to  come. 

vSURROUNDINGS. 

This  was  the  seventh  Baptist  church  organized  in  this  State — the  others 
being  Middletown,  Piscataway,  Cohansey.  Cape  May,  Hopewell,  King- 
wood.  At  that  time  there  were  sixteen  Episcopal  churches  in  the  State. 
There  were  Episcopal  churches  at  Allentown,  Freehold,  Spotswood,  Perth 
Araboy,  New  Brunswick.  The  Presbyterians  had  churches  at  Allentown, 
founded  in  1725  ;  at  Cranbury  in  1720.  There  were  twenty  Presbyterian 
churches  in  the  State.  The  Reformed  had  churches  at  Freehold,  Middle- 
town,  New  Brunswick.  In  all,  there  were  twenty  Reformed  churches  in 
the  State.  The  seven  churches  have  grown  to  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
one.  The  perhaps  two  hundred  members  have  grown  to  near  forty-seven 
thousand. 

When  this  church  was  organized  the  name  of  Methodist  had  not  yet 
been  heard  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  The  first  Methodist  chapel  was  not 
erected  until  1767,  The  population  was  sparse.  East  Jersey  did  not  con- 
tain, at  the  uttermost,  more  than  one  or  two  score  thousand  people.  The 
Indians  were  near  neighbors.  In  1745  David  Brainerd  was  preaching  to 
the  Indians  a  few  miles  bejond  Cranbury.  Our  early  church  fathers  knew 
and  heard  that  sainted  man  of  God.  In  1766  the  region  about  Crosswicks, 
ten  miles  from  here,  was  described  as  a  wild  and  unsettled  place  and 
possessed  with  Indians  in  great  abundance. 

THE  FIRST  PASTOR. 

James  Carman,  one  of  the  constituent  members  was  chosen  as  pastor. 
He  was  at  this  time  an  old  man,  67  years  of  age.  "  He  was  born  at  Cape 
May  ;  bred  a  churchman  ;  came  with  his  parents  to  Philadelphia  when  a 
child  ;  went  with  them  to  Staten  Island,  where  he  in  the  fifteenth  year  of 


41 

his  age  received  baptism  at  the  hand  of  Rev.  Elias  Keach.  He  did  not 
join  any  Baptist  Church  for  many  j^ears  ;  went  first  among  the  Quakers, 
not  content  with  their  way,  he  joined  the  new  light  Presbyterians  ;  and 
connived  at  their  christening  two  of  his  children  ;  but  repenting  of  that 
connivance,  he  joined  Middletown  Church,  and  in  process  of  time  was 
licensed  to  preach  among  that  branch  of  the  Middletown  Church  which 
resided  at  Cranbury,  and  which  is  now  the  church  at  Hightstown."  Ed- 
wards. He  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  this  church,  Sunday,  Nov.  3d,  1745. 
Rev.  Nathaniel  Jenkins  and  Abel  Morgan,  of  Middletown,  assisted  in  the 
occasion.  Both  of  these  men  were  rugged  defenders  of  an  orthodox  faith 
—men  of  large  abilit\-.  It  is  certain  that  James  Carman,  the  first  pastor, 
was  well  grounded  in  the  fundamentals  of  the  faith.  He  was  interested 
in  the  larger  work  of  the  church — that  which  lay  beyond  the  confines  of 
the  local  church  work.  He  was  present  at  almost  every  meeting  of  the 
Association,  preaching  before  that  body  in  the  year  1752.  We  have 
record  of  his  preaching  in  New  York  and  elsewhere  while  pastor  of  this 
church.  It  is  probable  that  he  received  no  stated  salary.  We  find  the 
following  record  in  March,  1748— "The  church  hath  chosen  Brother 
Thomas  Morris  and  Brother  Samuel  Throp  to  inspect  into  Mr.  James  Car- 
man's necessities  and  to  inform  the  church  thereof  in  order  that  Mr. 
Carman  may  have  support."  No  further  reference  is  made  in  the  records, 
to  the  question  of  support. 

It  was  a  church  made  up  of  saintly  men  and  women — but  there  was  in 
it  a  vast  deal  of  human  nature.  Under  date  of  March  23,  1754,  we  have 
the  following  record  :—"  First  under  consideration  was  some  difference 
between  Mr.  Carman,  our  pastor,  and  Thomas  Appleget  and  his  wife, 
which  by  confession  to  each  other  and  to  the  church  is  done  away  and 
will  be  entirely  drowned  in  oblivion."  This,  in  truth,  was  a  scriptural 
way  to  settle  difficulties.  Another  ripple  in  the  quietness  of  the  church 
life  appears  in  the  proceedings  of  the  church  meeting  on  the  first  Friday 
in  June  1756— "a  dispute  arising  between  the  Rev.  Mr.  James  Carman  and 
Benjamin  Cheeseman  referred  for  further  consideration."  The  minutes 
do  not  show  that  this  dispute  was  settled.  Both  these  men  have  since 
learned  in  the  upper  life,  how  to  live  for  over  a  hundred  years  without 
any  dispute.  He  died  while  pastor  of  the  church.  Abel  Morgan,  of 
Middletown,  preached  his  funeral  discourse,  Oct.  29,  1756,  from  Psalms 
cxvi:  15  Abel  Morgan's  funeral  sermon  was,  in  turn,  preached  in  17S5 
by  the  second  pastor  of  this  church.  He  was  buried  near  the  pulpit  in 
which  for  eleven  years  he  had  preached  Christ.     In  the  old  burial  ground 


42 

at  Cranbury  hi.s  body  rests.     A  headstone  recently  erected  by  the  church 
marks  his  resting  place. 

Morgan  Edwards  writing  in  1789  says  of  James  Carman — "  His  first 
wife  was  Margaret  Diiwys  by  whom  he  had  children,  Elizabeth,  Caleb, 
John,  Phoebe,  James,  Ruth  and  Margaret  ;  his  second  wife  was  Sarah 
Frazier,  who  bare  him  three  children,  Rachel,  Ephraim  and  Samuel  ; 
these  ten  children  formed  alliances  with  the  Woods,  Bells,  Larouses, 
Princes,  Simmons,  &c.,  and  have  raised  him  upward  of  thirty  grand 
children;  and  these  a  numerous  progeny  of  great  grand  children."  Of 
him  we  have  no  portrait,  except  the  moral  portraiture,  that  he  was  a  good 
man. 

A  DAY  OF  SMALL  THINGS. 

Our  church  and  the  churches  of  that  day  had  but  few  of  the  agencies 
for  work  now  possessed.  At  that  day  there  were  no  Foreign  Missions. 
The  thoughts  of  Christians  had  not  yet  been  lifted  up  to  the  larger  horizon 
of  Christ's  plans  and  words.  William  Carey,  the  founder  of  Modern  Mis- 
sions, was  not  born  until  1761,  fifteen  years  after  this  church  was  formed. 
There  was  no  organized  Home  Mission  movement.  Our  Country  was 
but  a  narrow  strip  lying  on  the  Atlantic.  Pittsburgh,  Chicago,  Buffalo 
were  not  yet  dreamed  of.  Albany  was  considered  in  the  far  west.  Not  a 
single  Baptist  school  had  3^et  been  established.  Hopewell,  the  first  Bap- 
tist institution,  was  not  founded  until  1756.  There  was  no  Bible  society 
in  the  world.  The  modern  Sunday  School  movement  had  not  yet  been 
begotten.  Robert  Raikes  did  not  begin  his  work  until  years  afterward. 
The  Young  People's  organization  was  unthought  of.  Very  simple  in 
their  methods  of  work,  very  narrow  in  their  range— the  church  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years  ago  seems.  But  they  did  effectively  the  work  for 
their  daj'.  They  were  in  quest  of  opportunity  for  service.  In  due  time 
there  came  a  larger  outlook  and  more  effective  work.  But  they  managed 
without  many  books,  with  no  magazines  or  religious  papers  or  libraries 
to  raise  up  men  and  women  trained  in  the  christian  life.  Some  essential 
and  important  things  they  had  in  large  abundance.  They  had  God  the 
great  and  wise  ;  they  had  Jesus  Christ  the  Savior  ;  they  had  the  Holy 
Spirit  the  leader  into  God's  thoughts  and  into  larger  lives  ;  thej^  had  the 
Holy  Scriptures  ;  they  had  enlightenment,  a  conscience,  a  clear  thinking 
mind;  they  had  a  con.straining  sense  of  duty,  a  joy  in  Christian  service; 
with  them  and  in  them  and  through  them  God  worked  so  that  men  were 
brought  into  the  Kingdom  and  built  up  in  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  and 
firm  foundation  laid  for  the  better  davs  to  come.     We  need  not  be  ashamed 


43 
of  the  men  and  women  of  the  former  days  or  begin  to  make  apologies  for 

them. 

"  Whatever  record  leaps  to  light, 

They  never  will  be  shamed." 

THE  FIRST  MEETING  HOUSE. 

On  the  first  Saturday  of  October,  1747,  the  following  minute  occurs— 
"  Concluded  that  Brother  Hopewell  Hull  and  Brother  Thomas  Morris  are 
appointed  to  go  to  Isaac  Fitz  Randolph  in  order  to  acquaint  him  that  all 
is  ready  for  him  to  go  on  with  the  meeting  house."  This  house  was  erec- 
ted on  the  property  now  occupied  by  the  Spice  Mills  in  Cranbury.  The 
lot  was  purchased  from  Stephen  Warne.  Previous  to  this  time  the 
services  must  have  been  held  in  private  houses.  Two  years  passed  away 
after  the  organization  before  the  church  had  a  meeting  house.  The  con- 
veyance of  the  land  bears  date  April  15,  1746.  The  house  was  a  wooden 
structure.  It  could  not  have  been  pretentious  or  costly.  It  was  plain 
without  and  within.  There  was  no  Cathedral  glass,  no  carpet  on  the 
floor,  no  elaborate  furnishings.  The  windows  were  small,  it  was  dimly 
lighted  at  night,  even  if  there  were  services  at  night.  There  was  no 
organ,  it  is  a  matter  of  great  doubt  whether  at  this  time  they  would  have 
tolerated  an}'  instrumental  music. 

But,  there  was  the  true  Spiritual  worship  of  the  Almighty.  There  was 
fellowship  with  Him  and  with  each  other.  The  services  began  at  eleven 
o'clock.  Except  for  a  short  time  the  morning  service  of  the  church  has 
always  begun  at  this  hour.  The  services  lasted  from  eleven  to  one  P.  M. 
Attendance  at  the  place  of  worship  was  emphasized  as  a  duty  and  privi- 
lege.    On  the  first  Saturday  of  March,  1748,  we  have  the  following — 

"  Whereas  we  have  fixed  and  stated  times  appointed  to  meet  together 
to  consult  about  the  house  of  God  or  the  things  of  God's  house,  too  many 
of  the  members  have  here-to-fore  neglected  their  places,  and  the  church 
has  concluded  and  determined  that  whatever  member  shall  neglect  his 
place  and  shall  not  appear  in  their  place  or  places,  between  the  hours  of 
eleven  and  one  o'clock  in  the  day,  must  give  some  good  reason  for  such 
neglect  or  come  under  the  reproof  of  the  church."  The  meeting  house  was 
finished  early  in  1 74S.  We  have  the  name  of  the  first  sexton  of  the  meet- 
ing house.  "Brother  Thomas  Morris  is  to  dig  graves  at  our  meeting 
house  and  to  sweep  and  take  care  of  the  meeting  house."  This  house  of 
worship  was  used  for  forty  years.  It  was  then  sold  to  Dr  Stites  and 
removed  from  the  premises.  The  front  part  of  the  church  grounds  was 
afterwards  sold,  the  burial  part  is  still  owned  by  the  church. 


44 
THE  DARK  PERIOD. 

After  the  bright  morning  of  the  church  there  came  a  dark  period.  From 
1756  to  1782  there  was  no  settled  pastor.  There  were  no  business  meetings 
recorded  from  September  6,  1766  to  October  2,  1784.  After  the  death  of 
Rev.  James  Carman  the  following  action  was  taken  November  13,  1756. 
"Concluded  that  the  church  do  assemble  at  the  meeting  house  on  the 
Sabbath,  in  this  instant,  to  hold  Christian  Society  and  so  to  continue  once 
a  fortnight  until  the  church  see  fit  to  alter  the  rule.  Concluded  that  our 
Brothers  Wm.  Cheeseman  and  Thomas  Morford  do  carry  on  the  exercises 
of  divine  worship  at  the  times  appointed  and  call  to  their  assistance  such 
helps  as  they  think  proper."  The  pastor  was  dead,  but  the  church  was 
not.  Without  a  recognized  leader  they  decided  they  would  carry  on  the 
worship  themselves.  It  was  doubtless  a  time  that  tried  the  patience  and 
faith  of  the  people.  The  fire  burned  low,  but  it  burned.  We  are  depend- 
ent for  our  knowledge  of  the  church's  life,  during  this  period,  upon  the 
Minutes  of  the  Philadelphia  Association.  For  two  years,  1767,  1768,  the 
pastor  of  the  Piscataway  Church  acted  as  pastor  of  this  church  and 
represented  it  as  a  delegate  at  the  Association.  Rev.  Isaac  Stelle  who 
thus  shepherded  our  church  for  two  years  was  an  eminently  godly  and 
useful  man,  filling  a  large  place  in  the  Baptist  cause  at  that  day.  In  1761 
two  were  baptized,  the  membership  was  thirty-six,  the  congregation  num- 
bering 150.  In  1766  came  a  time  of  gracious  revival  when  tliirtj^  were 
baptized,  making  the  membership  seventy-six.  And  then  came  a  time  of 
darkness  and  struggle.  For  five  years  from  1768-1772  no  report  was  made 
to  the  Association.  In  1773  we  again  get  a  glimpse  at  the  church  and  the 
membership  has  dwindled  to  twenty-four.  During  a  large  part  of  the  revo- 
lutionary struggle  no  report  was  made.  Those  days  were  dark  days  for 
the  spiritual  life  of  the  churches.  In  1780  the  Philadelphia  Association 
"  complained  in  general  of  great  declension  in  religion  and  vital  piety; 
also  of  amazing  prevailing  stupidity,  which  are  such  tokens  of  the  divine 
displeasure  as  do  loudly  call  for  deep  humiliation  of  spirit."  These  were 
dark  days  also  for  the  Baptists  in  New  England  and  in  Virginia  Their 
farms  were  sold  from  them  and  their  pastors  were  put  in  jail.  The  church 
had,  during  these  dark  years,  three  sources  of  help,  the  neighboring 
pastors,  the  travelling  preachers  or  evangelists  and  the  Ruling  Elders  and 
Deacons. 

THE  SECOND  PASTOR. 

God  was  in  the  meanwhile   raising  up  one  of  their  own  number  to  be 
their  pa.stor.     Peter   Wilson    was  born    in   Windsor  Township,    May  14, 


45 

1753  ;  baptized  May  i,  1776  ;  licensed  to  preach  i7cSo,  when  27  years  of  age  ; 
ordained  as  pastor  May  13,  1782.  It  is  very  probable  that  he  supplied  the 
pulpit  largely  before  he  became  pastor.  Straightwa}'  the  Record  Book 
of  the  church  becomes  a  thing  of  life.  A  new  interest  everywhere  sprang 
up.  It  was  the  coming  of  a  man  who  did  it.  Morgan  Edwards  writ- 
ing in  1789,  sa3'S  :  "  He  is  a  man  to  be  wondered  at  !  "  The  church 
had  well  nigh  become  extinct.  Within  nine  years  two  hundred  and  three 
were  converted  and  baptized.  The  like  eflFect  followed  his  preaching 
everywhere.  "And  for  all  this  popularity,  ordination  and  common 
English  education  he  did  not  (like  too  many  lay  preachers)  hold  himself 
in  a  state  of  sufficiency."  He  spent  four  j-ears  of  .study  at  the  Academy 
of  Dr.  Burgess  Allison  at  Bordentown,  that  he  might  fit  himself  for  the 
work  of  the  ministry.  "When  his  business  was  urgent  he  borrowed 
parts  of  the  night  to  attend  to  it  after  having  spent  the  days  at  Mr. 
Allison's  Academy."  Peter  Wilson  was  a  tailor  bj-  trade.  A  true  helper 
was  his  wife.  "  It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  Mrs.  Wilson  encouraged 
him  in  his  wishes,  saying  that  she  would  go  to  the  washtub  or  take  a  hoe 
in  her  hand  rather  than  he  should  want  learning."  He  thus  became  well 
versed  in  the  .standard  literature  of  the  day.  Morgan  Edwards  styles  him 
A.  M.  His  salary  was  "  £120  per  annum  beside  perquisites."  He  was  a 
man  of  large  stature,  dressed  in  the  old  stj'le  of  clothing.  But  one  of  his 
sermons,  so  far  as  known,  remains.  The  outlines  of  a  sermon  preached 
in  1805  before  this  church  show  an  orderly  arrangement,  a  knowledge  of 
the  Scriptures  and  a  direct  and  personal  appeal.  But  two  persons  are  now 
living,  so  far  as  is  known,  who  have  any  remembrance  of  having  seen 
him  or  heard  him  preach^ — Mrs.  Abigail  Smith  and  Mrs  Margaret  Con- 
over,  both  of  this  place.  But  it  is  also  true  that  his  wide  ministr}' — his 
almost  two  score  years  of  service — his  thousands  of  sermons  impressed 
themselves,  in  an  incalculable  way,  upon  this  community  and  this  part 
of  the  State.  He  had  a  large  parish.  His  field  extended  from  the  Raritan 
and  the  Atlantic  to  the  Delaware  and  beyond  into  Pennsylvania  ;  from 
Penn's  Neck  to  Squan  and  Mt.  Holly.  He  was  con.stant  in  labors,  a  man 
of  big  frame  and  large  heart,  travelling  on  horseback  to  fill  his  appoint- 
ments. He  preached  at  Trenton,  Hamilton  Square,  Penn's  Neck,  Wash- 
ington, Cheesequakes,  Squan,  Pemberton,  Mt.  Holly,  Jacobstown.  "At 
Pemberton  fifty-five  were  added  by  means  of  his  preaching  there  ;  almost 
a  dozen  at  Jacobstown.  The  members  of  the  new  church  at  the  INIanor  (in 
Pennsylvania)  were  all  baptized  by  him."  At  that  time  there  were  only 
three  churches  within  the  bounds  of  the  Trenton  Association,  Middletown, 


46 

Hightstown,  Upper  Freehold.  There  was  a  large  field  for  work.  There 
was  a  loud  call  for  a  man.  With  the  closing  of  the  war,  with  the  begin- 
ning of  the  new  national  life,  there  was  opened  a  new  era  for  spiritual 
and  church  work.  Peter  Wilson  did  his  work  well  and  largely.  If  we 
could  take  out  of  the  Baptist  Church  life  in  this  part  of  the  State  what 
Peter  Wilson  did,  directly  and  indirectly,  what  an  impoverished  thing  it 
would  be.  Peter  Wilson  was  a  missionary  committee  in  himself ;  a  state 
convention  in  himself.  This  church  extended  from  the  ocean  to  the 
Delaware.  It  was  one  church,  but  with  a  widely  scattered  membership. 
We  find  this  record  September  30,  1786.  "Agreed  that  we  hold  Com- 
munion at  South  River  as  often  as  the  church  may  judge  it  convenient." 
We  find  this  record  August  23,  1802.  "Agreed  to  hold  Communion  at 
Squan  occasionally,  as  there  appears  an  open  door  for  the  Gospel  in  that 
place."  In  1804  seventy-four  members  were  dismissed  to  form  churches 
at  South  River  and  Squan.  The  Squan  church  was  organized  October 
20,  1804. 

We  find  this  record  April  25,  1784,  "  The  church  agreed  to  hold  Com- 
munion at  Nottingham  Square."  The  meeting  house  at  Hamilton  Square 
was  built  m  1788.  The  lot  was  given  by  Mr.  Eldridge  ;  the  house  was 
largely  erected  through  Mr.  Nutt.  The  property  was  conveyed  to  the 
Trustees  of  the  Church  March  10,  1788.  The  church  was  organized  No- 
vember 9,  1S05,  almost  entirely  by  members  dismissed  from  this  church 
for  that  purpose.  Edwards  writes  in  1792  :  "  The  families  belonging  to 
Hightstown  church  are  about  250  ;  whereof  240  persons  are  baptized  and 
in  the  Communion  here  administered,  partly  at  one  house  and  partly  at 
the  other."  At  the  church  meeting  held  January  25,  1792,  it  is  stated  the 
salary  for  Peter  Wilson  for  the  preceding  year  was  two  hundred  and  ten 
dollars  in  our  currency — (^84.  5s.) 

Peter  Wilson  went  beyond  Hamilton  Square  to  Trenton.  He  preached 
here  as  early  as  1787,  the  first  recorded  Baptist  preaching  in  that  place. 
The  house  of  Mrs.  Hannah  Keen  was  the  first  Baptist  sanctuary  in  Tren- 
ton. On  March  4,  1788,  he  baptized  five  persons  in  the  Delaware.  This 
was  the  first  instance  of  believer's  baptism  within  the  present  limits  of 
the  city.  The  church  here  was  organized  November  9,  1805,  almost 
exclusively  of  members  dismissed  from  this  church.  Peter  Wilson  con- 
tinued to  preach  for  them  until  1809.  His  labors  here  were  greatly  appre- 
ciated. January  9,  1808,  the  church  took  this  action: — "The  thankful 
acknowledgments  of  the  church  for  his  work  of  faith  and  labors  of  love 
amongst  us  for  the  past  years  are  voted  to  Rev.  Peter  Wilson." 


47 

The  Spirit  of  work  was  in  him  and  churches  were  begotten.  In  1787  he 
preached  in  the  houses  of  John  Flock,  near  Princeton ;  James  Campbell,  in 
Princeton,  and  in  1790  in  the  house  of  John  Hight,  Penn's  Neck.  The 
first  sermon  was  from  Matthew  1 1  :  28-30.  A  detailed  account  of  the  work 
in  Peter  Wilson's  hand  writing  is  found  in  the  record  book  of  the  Penn's 
Neck  Church. 

The  work  widened  and  deepened.  The  result  was  a  church.  This 
church  was  organized  December  5,  1812,  with  a  membership  of  thirty-six 
all  of  whom  were  dismissed  from  this  church. 

The  Mt.  Holly  Church  histor}-  has  this  record: — "The  earliest  Baptist 
influence  in  Mt.  Holly  of  which  we  have  record  was  that  awakened  bj-  the 
preaching  of  Rev.  Peter  Wilson,  in  1784."  Through  him  indirectly  by 
the  labors  of  Rev.  Alexander  McGowan.  a  licentiate  of  the  Hightstown 
Church,  this  church  had  its  origin.  All  the  churches  thus  mentioned, 
except  Mt.  Holly,  were  parts  of  the  one  church  at  Hightstown.  Provision 
was  made  bj'  .vote  of  the  church,  for  the  Scripture  ordinances  and  for 
church  discipline  in  each  neighborhood.  The  record  reads: — "The 
church  met  at  Hightstown,  Nottingham  Square,  etc."  Before  these 
churches  were  organized  this  church  numbered  424,  doubtless  the  largest 
Baptist  church  at  that  time  in  this  country  and  in  the  world.  Peter  Wil- 
son continued  pastor  of  the  church  to  November  3,  1816  and  acted  as 
supply  for  the  church  to  May  18,  1S17.  He  was  one  of  the  most  useful  of 
men — but  he  was  a  man.  Under  date  of  August  22,  1817,  are  these  words 
— "  Peter  Wilson  informed  the  church  that  he  would  neither  preach  nor 
commune  until  the  church  should  see  fit  to  restore  him  into  the  fellowship 
of  the  church."  The  church  voted  to  restore  him  to  fellowship.  "Novem- 
ber 2,  1817,  Peter  Wilson  was  invited  to  the  fellowship  of  the  church  by 
Deacon  Thomas  Allen  in  behalf  of  the  church."  It  was  the  curse  of  strong 
drink  that  proved  stronger  than  a  good  strong  man.  It  was  a  marvel- 
ously  fruitful  life.  Revivals  followed  his  preaching.  In  17S6  he  baptized 
sixt3'-six;  in  1787,  fortj'-eight ;  in  17S8,  forty-five;  in  1789,  twent3--six.  The 
Hoh-  Spirit  accompanied  and  owned  his  work.  He  records  in  the  church 
book  these  words: — "Peter  Wilson  baptized  from  August  10,  1782,  to  June 
22,  181 7,  952  persons."  He  died  May  19,  1824,  and  is  buried  only  a  few  feet 
from  the  pulpit  that  he  filled  for  thirty-five  years.  His  residence  was  on 
Stockton  Street,  north  side,  in  the  old  Wilson  home.  His  wife  was  Mary 
Fisher;  his  children,  Enoch,  Job,  Oliver  Hart  and  Ezekiel  Robbins.  He 
filled  a  large  place  in  the  work  of  the  Philadelphia  Association — being  its 
Clerk  for  a  time  and  frequently  sent  as  a  messenger  to  other  Associations. 


48 

SECOND  MEETING  HOUSE. 

In  the  early  part  of  Peter  Wilson's  ministry  the  church  decided  to  move 
to  Hightstown.  It  is  not  known  what  led  to  the  change  of  location.  The 
residence  of  the  pastor  in  this  part  of  the  field,  with  more  rapidly  growing 
membership  in  this  section  may  have  contributed  to  this  result.  In  this 
vicinity  was  no  place  of  worship,  in  Cranbury  was  a  Presbyterian  church. 
In  the  church  book  is  the  statement — "The  first  meeting  held  at  Hights- 
town, November  ii,  1785."  This  was  on  Friday.  Whether  the  house  was 
finished  at  this  time  the  records  do  not  state.  At  that  time  the  village  con- 
sisted of  the  log  cabin  of  John  Hight,  a  blacksmith  shop  built  by  him,  a 
tavern  also  built  by  him  at  a  da}'  when  a  spiritual  life  and  the  sale  of  spir- 
ituous liquors  were  not  deemed  inconsistent.  The  mill  was  built  at  the 
close  of  the  revolutionary'  period.  Perhaps  two  or  three  other  houses  were 
in  or  near  the  present  village.  Half  an  acre  of  ground  was  purchased  from 
William  Smith,  the  conveyance  bearing  date  April  3,  1784.  Upon  this  lot 
was  built  a  frame  house  40x30  feet,  .standing  where  the  brick  house  now 
stands.  Edwards  says  that  it  was  well  finished  and  accommodated  with 
a  vStove.  It  was  a  remarkable  thing  in  those  days  to  have  the  meeting 
house  warmed.  For  forty  years,  in  the  first  meeting  house,  the}'  had 
braved  the  winters  with  no  heat  save  that  which  their  warm  hearts  gave 
them.  Some  of  the  older  members  would  perhaps  bring  with  them  their 
warming  pans  filled  with  charcoal.  This  house  had,  as  the  older  people 
relate,  galleries  and.  a  sounding  board  over  the  pulpit  on  which  rested  a 
dove.  The  house  was  freed  from  debt  soon  after  its  erection.  The  church 
voted  April  12,  1788: — "  Agreed  to  raise  by  subscription  money  to  paj^  the 
deficiency  for  discharging  expense  of  building  the  meeting  house  at 
Hightstown."  Back  of  the  meeting  house  stood  the  grave  yard,  God's 
acre,  which  was  used  for  burial  purposes  until  fifteen  years  ago  at  which 
time  it  was  voted  to  permit  no  more  interments.  The  oldest  grave  stone 
bears  date  July  4,  1790.  This  meeting  house  which  was  of  frame,  was 
used  until  1834.  At  this  time  it  was  sold  and  removed  from  the  premises. 
One  of  the  old  pews  is  still  in  existence.  In  this  old  pew,  stiff  and  high 
backed,  sat  some  of  those  who  were  intent,  it  may  be  hoped,  on  hearing 
that  they  might  improve  the  life.  In  the  upper  sanctuary  they  now  meet. 
The  old  meeting  hou.se  was  purchased  by  Dr.  McChesney  and  was  used 
for  several  3'ears  by  the  Universalists  as  a  house  of  worship.  Part  of  its 
framework  was  used  in  constructing  the  Universalist  parsonage.  A  view 
of  this  old  meeting  house  is  still  preserved  in  an  old  print.  Soon  after 
entering  the  new  house,  the  church  was   incorporated   as   a  body  politic. 


Third  rAsroK,  John  Six.kk. 


Fourth  Pastor,  C   W.  Mui,kori> 


Fii-TH   Pastor,  C.korge  Yoiinc 


Sixth  Pastor,  J.  15.  Saxton. 


49 

March  i6,  1786,  an  act  passed  the  legislature  to  incorporate  the  church. 
November  30  it  was  organized  under  the  act,  adopting  a  seal  and  electing 
its  first  board  of  trustees,  namely,  Samuel  Minor,  William  Tindall,  Wil- 
liam Covvenhoven,  William  Cubberly,  Nehemiah  Dey,  John  Walton,  John 
Cox.     William  Tindall  was  chosen  President  of  the  Board. 

This  house  having  served  its  purpose  for  fifty  years  gave  way  to 
another.  Benjamin  Ward  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  meeting 
house.  A  few  of  the  older  members  have  a  remembrance  of  this  old  place 
of  worship.  Mrs.  Peter  Pullen  whose  membership  with  us  dates  back 
nearly  sixty  3'ears  has  remembrance  of  Deacon  Enoch  Allen,  standing  in 
front  of  the  pulpit  and  lining  out  the  hymn,  two  lines  at  atime.  James  M. 
Pullen  and  John  Seger,  Jr.,  also  standing  in  front  led  the  singing.  The 
pulpit  Bible  used  in  the  house  is  in  the  possession  of  the  church.  Many 
hundreds  were  converted  and  comforted  through  the  words  of  this  old  book . 

A  part  of  the  Communion  service  remains  until  this  day — made  of 
pewter,  ver}-  common  in  appearance,  but  they  were  witnesses  for  large 
and  tender  teachings. 

THE  THIRD  PASTOR. 

There  was  no  long  interval  between  the  retirement  of  Peter  Wilson  and 
the  coming  of  the  new  pastor.  Rev.  John  Seger.  He  entered  upon  the 
new  pastorate  May  i,  1S18,  having  previously  supplied  the  church  for 
several  months.  He  was  born  in  New  York  Feb.  4,  1786.  After  a  long 
and  painful  religious  experience,  that  reminds  one  of  John  Bunyon's  deep 
soul  exercises,  he  came  into  the  light.  Matt.  5  :  4.  was  his  spiritual  birth- 
place. He  joined  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  New  York  April,  1803,  Rev. 
William  Collyer,  pastor.  Straightway  he  began  to  work  in  destitute 
places.  When  he  was  converted,  he  was  converted  into  the  ministry. 
He  was  ordained  while  carrying  on  business,  January  17,  1813.  He  was 
a  man  who  knew  how  to  do  things  ;  how  to  make  things  come  to  pass. 

"  He  obtained  a  patent  right  for  the  first  cooking  stove  that  had  ever 
been  invented."  He  was  a  man  of  deep  and  earnest  piety,  a  plain  and 
effective  preacher.  He  was  not  a  man  of  very  large  acquaintance  with 
books,  but  he  was  a  man  who  knew  the  one  book.  He  was  also  a  sweet 
singer  in  Israel.  A  great  revival  took  place  during  his  ministry,  during 
which  150  were  baptized.  During  a  part  of  his  pastorate  here  he  was 
alsothe  joint  pastor  at  Hamilton  Square.  He  also  preached  largely  at 
Penn's  Neck.  He  remained  pastor  of  the  church  for  eighteen  years,  end- 
ing his  work  May  i,  1836.  After  this  he  served  as  pastor  at  Jamacia,  Long 
Island,  and  Lambertville,  N.  J.,  then  returned  to  make  his  home  among 


50 

the  people  with  whom  he  labored  so  long.  He  spent  here  an  honored  old 
age.  Many  will  remember  the  venerable  white  haired  man  who  always 
occupied  the  pulpit  with  the  pastor.  He  entered  into  rest  November  rg, 
1870.  He  lies  resting  in  the  old  grave  yard,  a  few  feet  distant  from  the 
pulpit  he  filled  while  living.  He  was  a  man  of  missionary  spirit,  having 
a  heart  larger  than  his  own  field  and  his  own  church.  He  had  a  wide 
horizon.  July  27,  1830,  a  meeting  was  held  at  Hamilton  Square,  with 
delegates  from  ten  churches.  At  this  meeting  the  State  Convention  was 
formed.  Of  this  meeting  John  Seger  was  president.  The  other  delegate 
from  this  church  was  Thomas  Allen.  Those  eighteen  delegates  were 
doing  a  far  larger  thing  than  they  dreamed  of  in  laying  the  foundations 
of  our  State  mission  work.  During  his  later  years  he  wrote  and  published 
his  autobiography,  an  interesting  sketch  of  a  long  and  useful  life.  A  copy 
of  this  work  is  in  possession  of  the  church.  While  other  strong  Baptist 
churches,  like  Hopewell,  became  anti-missionary  in  spirit,  John  Seger 
with  other  like  minded  men,  put  a  different  stamp  upon  this  church. 
Being  dead,  he  lives. 

THIRD  MEETING  HOUSE. 

During  Mr.  Seger's  ministry  a  brick  meeting  house  was  erected  on  the 
site  of  the  former  house.  It  was  dedicated  in  1S34  It  was  repaired  and 
enlarged  in  1839  with  the  dedicatory  sermon  by  Rev.  Samuel  Aaron  of 
Burlington.  As  orignally  built  a  small  cupola  adorned  the  house — this 
was  afterward  removed.  Galleries  surrounded  three  sides  of  the  interior. 
The  end  gallery  was  used  for  Sunday  School  purposes.  Here  is  found  the 
diminutive  library  case  used  by  the  school  before  the  modern  era  of  books. 
This  house  is  now  used  for  the  Bible  .school,  for  prayer  meeting  purposes, 
for  social  purposes.  The  upper  room  was  the  first  home  of  Peddie  Institute. 
Here  for  years  school  work  was  carried  on.  On  the  erection  of  this  house 
it  was  voted  to  tear  down  the  brick  house.  Tradition  asserts  that  the 
work  of  destruction  had  already  begun  when  Rev.  Lewis  Smith,  the  new 
pastor,  stopped  the  work  that  it  might  be  used  for  school  purposes.  In 
the  year  1885  an  addition  was  put  to  this  building  for  primary  and  Bible 
class  work.  This  with  the  work  of  improving  the  entire  lower  floor  for 
better  Sunday  School  work  cost  over  two  thousand  dollars.  In  1834 
Hightstown  contained  six  stores  and  between  thirty  and  forty  dwellings. 
This  house  was  for  twenty-five  3'ears  a  birth  place  for  souls. 

FOURTH    PASTOR. 
Rev.  Clarence  W.  Mulford  began  his  pastorate  December  21,  1836.      He 
was  baptized  and  licensed  at  vSalem,  was  ordained  at  Pemberton  November 


51 

1830.  He  was  called  to  Hightstown  from  Frankford,  Penna.  It  was  a 
fruitful  and  faithful  ministry.  He  baptized  while  here  225  persons.  The 
older  members  of  the  church  retain  the  kindest  memories  of  him  as  a 
heavenly  minded  man.  For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  church, 
the  pastor,  because  of  his  pastorship,  acted  as  moderator  of  the  business 
meetings.  Before  this  time  it  had  been  customary  to  elect  a  chairman  for 
each  meeting.  For  the  first  time  also  pews  were  rented  as  a  means  of 
church  revenue.  This  plan  continued  to  be  made  use  of  by  the  church 
until  1S90,  when  the  pews  were  made  free  and  the  envelope  plan  was 
adopted.  At  first  the  offerings  were  made  monthly — in  1S94  the  weekly 
plan  was  adopted.  During  his  pastorate  a  bell  was  first  used  to  call  peo- 
ple to  worship.  It  was  voted  that  it  be  tolled  at  funerals,  subsequently 
this  action  was  rescinded,  but  without  any  formal  action  the  old  custom 
reasserted  itself.  Mr.  Mulford  was  a  man  who  planned  for  the  Common- 
wealth. For  several  3'ears  he  served  as  Secretary  of  the  State  Convention, 
and  for  six  3'ears  he  was  its  president.  At  a  large  ingathering  in  1839 
fifty  were  baptized  on  one  occasion.  He  was  a  leader  in  temperance  work. 
Old  drinking  habits  were  sanctioned  by  a  century  of  custom.  Deacon 
Enoch  Allen,  for  fifty  years  a  pillar  of  the  church,  said  that  one  of  his 
duties  when  a  young  man  at  home,  was  to  see  that  a  sufficient  amount  of 
good  liquor  was  on  hand  when  the  great  meetings  were  held  and  pastors 
and  messengers  from  other  churches  were  expected.  He  closed  his  pas- 
torate July  30,  1S46.  He  preached  subsequently  at  Flemington  and 
Holmdel,  dying  at  Flemington  June  2S,  1864.  He  was  an  eminently  good 
man,  preacher  and  pastor. 

FIFTH  PASTOR. 
Rev.  George  Young,  born  March  i,  rSi3,  became  pastor  April  i,  1847, 
having  previously  been  pastor  at  Sandy  Ridge.  The  first  recorded  recog- 
nition services  took  place  June  22,  1847.  The  sermon  was  preached  by 
George  R.  Bliss  of  New  Brunswick  ;  the  hand  of  fellowship  in  behalf  of 
the  church  by  Deacon  Thomas  Allen  ;  on  behalf  of  the  ministers  by  Rev. 
J  E.  Rue  ;  the  address  to  the  candidate  by  Rev.  A.  Armstrong  of  Upper 
Freehold  ;  address  to  the  church  bj-  Rev.  D.  D.  Grey  of  Penn's  Neck  ; 
questions  to  the  church  by  Brother  George  Allen.  The  salary  was  fixed 
at  $435  per  3-ear  and  the  use  of  the  parsonage  farm  of  seventy  acres.  Dur- 
ing his  pastorate  the  church  took  measures  for  S3'stematizing  and  enlarg- 
ing the  benevolence  of  the  church.  In  the  last  3'ear  of  his  pastorate  a 
large  ingathering  took  place.  During  his  pastorate  a  new  mission  in- 
terest was  established  at  the  Cross  Roads,  now  Dayton.     Preaching  was 


52 

maintained  ;  the  Lord's  Supper  was  observed  here  as  an  outstation  of 
this  church.  While  a  mission  of  the  church  there  was  an  absence  of  har- 
mony among  the  members.  In  1855  it  was  formed  into  a  separate  church, 
known  as  the  South  Brunswick  church.  Its  only  pastor  was  Rev.  M.  R. 
Cox  ;  owing  to  dissensions  in  the  church  and  the  death  of  some  who 
were  pillars  in  the  church,  the  house  was  closed — the  church  finally  dis- 
banded and  the  property  was  sold.  Because  the  members  were  not  faith- 
ful and  brotherly  the  candlestick  was  removed  and  the  church  light  went 
out.  Mr.  Young  closed  his  labors  April  i,  1851,  having  baptized  78. 
Three  of  his  sons  entered  the  ministry  ;  Charles  E.,  who  died  while  pas- 
tor of  the  church  at  Cherry ville  ;  Thomas  C,  now  pastor  at  Ringoes,  N. 
J.  ;  George  B.,  late  pastor  at  Hamilton  Square.  Rev.  George  Young  was 
a  man  of  superior  ability.  He  had  a  large,  clear,  well-trained  mind  ;  a 
graduate  of  Princeton,  a  profound  student  of  the  Bible,  a  man  of  large 
force  of  character  ;  he  filled  many  pulpits  in  this  and  other  States,  and 
entered  into  rest  April  10,  1893. 

SIXTH  PASTOR. 

Rev.  J.  R.  Saxton  entered  upon  his  pastorate  May  25,  1851,  having  been 
called  from  Somerville,  N.  J.  He  was  soon  afterward  called  b}'  the  Home 
Mission  Society  to  enter  their  service  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  He  labored 
there  successfully  for  manj'  years.  In  advanced  old  age  he  is  waiting  the 
summons  to  pass  over,  to  pass  up.  He  has  written  a  letter  to  the  church 
to  be  read  at  this  Anniversary.  He  resigned  October  2,  1852,  having  bap- 
tized sixteen.  He  is  still  remembered  by  a  few  of  the  older  members.  As 
a  recognition  of  his  ability  as  a  man  and  a  preacher,  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Divinity  was  conferred  upon  him. 

SEVENTH  PASTOR. 

Rev.  E.  M.  Barker  became  pa.stor  March  27,  1853.  He  was  baptized  at 
Cohansey,  licensed  to  preach  at  Woodstown,  ordained  at  Canton.  He 
was  called  to  Hightstown  from  Samptown,  N.  J.  His  was  a  pleasant  and 
pro-Sperous  pastorate.  During  his  ministry  additional  ground  was  pur- 
chased for  church  purposes.  The  ground  occupied  by  the  present  house, 
extending  to  the  water  in  the  rear,  embraced  three  acres,  thus  pur- 
chased. The  meeting  house  proving  too  small  for  the  congregation,  it 
was  decided  to  build  a  new  house.  Mr.  Thomas  Hunt  of  New  York,  pre- 
sented the  church  with  a  bell  weighing  3144  pounds.  This  was  at  first 
suspended  from  a  temporary  framework  alongside  the  old  house.  It  may 
be  that  a  desire  to  get  a  suitable  place  in  which  to  hang  it  contributed 
somewhat  to  the  decision  to  build  a  new  house.     The  corner  stone  of  the 


Seventh  Pastor,  K.  M.  Hakkkr. 


EioHTH  Pastor    Lewis  Smith. 


Ninth  Pastor,  Is.-^ac  Bi  ttkrhei-d. 


■ri:NTH  Pastor,  LYiMan  Chase. 


53 

new  house  was  laid  June  i6,  1857.  Dr.  John  Dowling  of  New  York,  gave 
an  address  on  this  occasion.  Having  accepted  a  call  to  Beverly,  he  closed 
his  pastorate  August  i,  1857.  He  baptized  manj'  during  his  pastorate. 
He  was  a  good  man  and  did  a  faithful  work.  After  several  subsequent 
pastorates  he  died  at  Baltimore,  July  3,  1886.  During  his  fifty-two  years 
in  the  pastorate,  he  baptized  500  and  preached  over  8000  sermons.  His 
son  Richard  Barker  was,  for  a  long  time,  church  clerk. 

FOURTH  MEETING  HOUSE. 
This  house  of  worship  was  dedicated  Februar\-  24,  1858.  It  is  a  frame 
structure  57  by  82,  costing  nearlj^  twent}'  thousand  dollars.  The  building 
committee  consi.sted  of  Enoch  Allen,  Joseph  S.  Ely,  Thomas  H.  Mount, 
John  Woolley,  Samuel  Fisher,  E.  T.  R.  Applegate.  Four  of  these  men 
have  entered  into  the  service  of  the  upper  sanctuar}'.  It  was  freed  from 
debt  soon  after  its  dedication.  It  has  been  greatly  improved  since  its 
erection.  The  cathedral  glass  windows  were  put  in  position  in  1883,  the 
gift  of  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Middleton.  The  present  Roosevelt  pipe  organ  was 
the  gift  of  Mr.  Wilson  G.  Hunt  of  New  York,  in  188 r.  The  organ  room 
was  built  b}' the  church.  Stoves  were  discarded  in  1891,  and  the  steam 
heating  plant  was  put  in  place,  heating  both  properties.  The  grounds 
were  beautified  in  front,  and  the  stone  wall  erected  in  the  same  year. 
The  Baptistery  was  introduced  in  1886.  Previously  to  that  time  for  one 
hundred  years  the  mill  pond  had  been  used  for  baptismal  purposes.  It  is 
not  known  how  soon  the  fourth  meeting  house  will  give  waj'  to  a  fifth. 

EIGHTH  PASTOR. 

Rev.  Lewis  Smith  was  born  July  20,  1820,  ordained  at  Hatboro,  Pa., 
November  5,  1S46,  having  been  graduated  at  Hamilton,  N.  Y.  He  served 
as  a  missionary  in  New  Mexico,  and  pastor  of  the  First  Trenton  church, 
from  which  became  to  the  pastorate  of  this  church  December  i,  1S57. 
His  salary  was  $Soo  per  year  and  a  house.  The  previous  pastor,  Rev.  E. 
M.  Barker,  was  the  last  one  who  occupied  the  parsonage  farm.  Mr. 
Smith  was  a  faithful  earnest  preacher  and  pastor.  He  had  a  strong  soul 
in  a  weak  body.  He  was  efiicient  in  work  in  all  the  departments  of 
church  life.  He  was  devoted  in  loyalty^  to  his  country  during  the  civil 
war.  This  pulpit  rang  out  in  no  uncertain  sound  on  the  duty  of  good 
men  to  stand  b}'  the  government  in  word  and  in  work.  The  grounds  in 
the  rear  of  this  church  were  made  use  of  to  hold  meetings  to  recruit  the 
ranks  of  our  armies.  It  was  also  used  as  a  drilling  ground  by  the  Home 
Guard.     This  house  was  also  made  use  of  to  collect  and  forward  stores  to 


54 

the  men  in  the  front.  Several  members  of  the  church  went  out  into  the 
service  and  did  tiot  return.  Among  those  was  the  church  clerk,  Richard 
Barker,  who  died  and  found  a  resting  place  in  the  South.  The  records 
speak  of  others  who  laid  down  their  lives  for  their  country  ;  on  the  re- 
cords are  entrances  like  these  :  "  May  24,  1862,  in  United  States  Hospital, 
of  wounds  received  in  the  battle  of  Williamsburg,  Bro.  Charles  Leh- 
ming,  aged  24  ;"  "  Killed  in  a  skirmish  with  the  rebels  near  Upperville, 
Va.,  on  May  6,  1S63,  Bro.  Robert  Vorhees,  aged  20."  Pastor  Smith  left  the 
pastorate  to  die.  He  closed  his  labors  in  the  midst  of  a  spirtual  refresh- 
ing. He  died  at  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  Aug.  25,  1864.  His  funeral  discourse 
was  preached  from  Ps.  CXVI,  15.  He  lived  a  useful  and  holy  life.  He 
left  a  fragrant  memory.  A  volume  containing  a  sketch  of  his  life  and  a 
number  of  his  sermons  was  published  after  his  death.  The  sermons  re- 
veal him  as  a  man  very  clear  in  his  thinking  and  very  fervent  in  spirit. 
Many  of  our  present  members  were  brought  to  know  Christ  through  his 
preaching  and  living.  He  baptized  a  large  number  during  his  pastorate, 
having  a  fruitful  pastorate.  During  his  pastorate  the  Sunday-  School 
received  new  life.  The  following  appears  on  the  minutes,  dated  January 
30,  1858:  "  Resolved,  that  the  Sabbath  school  be  reorganized.  Resolved, 
that  a  committee  of  ten  be  appointed  to  whom  all  matters  pertaining  to 
the  regulation  of  the  school  shall  be  submitted.  The  committee  to  con- 
sist of  Rev.  L.  Smith,  T.  Mount,  E.  Allen,  M.  Rue,  J.  S.  Ely,  S.  Fisher, 
J.  Woolley,  J.  M.  Pullen,  E.  R.  Cole,  C.  Learning."  This  is  the  first 
reference  in  the  records  to  an}'  Sunday  school,  though  one  had  existed 
for  many  years. 

PEDDIE   INSTITUTE. 

On  the  record  book  of  the  church  stands  this  resolution,  Januar}'  30, 
1864  :  "Resolved,  that  the  room  over  the  Lecture  room  be  granted  to 
Bro.  Lewis  Smith  for  a  school  room,  free  of  charge,  for  one  year."  That 
was  the  beginning  of  a  school  that  ripened  into  Peddie  Institute.  It  was 
in  the  heart  of  the  pastor  and  other  large  minded  men  in  the  membership 
to  establish  here  a  school  for  Christian  education.  The  work  began  in  an 
humble  way.  Miss  Gurr  was  employed  to  teach  the  pupils  gathered 
from  the  congregation.  The  school  remained  in  this  room  for  six  j-ears. 
In  the  meantime  the  work  was  widening  and  larger  plans  were  coming 
into  their  minds.  The  school  was  incorporated  March,  1866,  under  the  title 
of  "  The  New  Jersey  Scientific  and  Classical  Institute."  Of  the  original 
Board  of  Trustees  almost  all  were  members  of  our  church  and  congregation- 
Of  the  nineteen  members  constituting  the  first  Board  of  Trustees,  Novem- 


55 
ber  8,  1865,  thirteen  were  members  of  our  congregation — Rev.  I.  Butter- 
field,  S.  C.  Denise,  Enoch  Allen,  Jos.  S.  Ely,  O.  H.  Reed,  Matthew  Rue, 
J.  E.  Rue,  Samuel  Fisher,  John  C  Fisher,  John  Woolley,  James  Paxton, 
E.  B.  Hall,  Enoch  A.  Ely.  These  were  the  foundation  men  on  whom 
Peddie  Institute  has  been  built.  Among  the  names  of  the  men  who  were 
the  founders  of  the  school  were  Rev.  Lewis  Smith,  Enoch  Allen,  for  many 
years  the  Treasurer  of  the  school  ;  Rev.  J.  E.  Rue,  who  everywhere 
through  the  State  brought  the  needs  of  the  school  before  men  ;  Matthew 
Rue.  Some  of  these  men  gave  one-quarter  of  all  their  possessions  to 
found  and  save  the  school.  Some  of  them  endorsed  notes  equal  in  amount 
to  all  their  pos.sessions.  They  were  men  who  believed  there  ought  to  be 
a  school  here,  they  were  men  vi'ho  believed  the  school  was  worthy  of  their 
best  endeavors.  The  church  contributed  over  $20,000  to  the  school.  To- 
day there  is  a  property  worth  $150,000  with  an  endowment  of  $175,000, 
ranking  as  one  of  the  eleven  most  highly  fitted  and  endowed  schools  in 
our  land.  To  God  and  good  men  here  and  elsewhere  be  all  the  praise. 
The  church  for  a  hundred  years  past  has  had  an  intelligent  interest  in 
education.  In  1802  and  the  following  years  the  church  contributed  regu 
larly  to  the  Education  Fund  of  the  Philadelphia  Association. 

NINTH  PASTOR. 
Rev  Isaac  Butterfield,  of  Davenport,  Iowa,  became  pastor  June  19,  1864. 
His  salary  was  $1,000  per  year  and  a  house.  He  was  born  in  Vermont, 
October  16,  1812,  was  baptized  May,  1S35,  licensed  to  preach  in  1836,  or- 
dained January,  1837.  He  remained  here  as  pastor  until  October  6,  1866. 
During  his  pastorate  the  congregations  were  large  and  the  general  in- 
terests of  the  church  were  in  a  flourishing  condition.  He  left,  much  to 
the  regret  of  the  church.  He  was  a  man  of  marked  pulpit  ability,  fervent 
piety,  a  wise  leader.  He  died  at  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  April  17,  1S95. 
He  spent  nearly  sixty  years  in  the  ministry.  Even  after  he  left  the  pas- 
torate he  continued  his  work  among  feeble  churches.  A  memorial 
volume,  containing  a  sketch  of  his  life  and  the  last  sermon  preached  by 
him  is  in  the  possession  of  the  church.  Shortly  before  his  death  he  wrote 
an  aftectionate  letter  to  the  church  to  be  read  at  this  Anniversary. 

TENTH  PASTOR. 
.  Rev.  Lyman  Chase  became  pastor  May  i,  1867,  coming  here  from  Vine- 
land,  N.J.  His  pastorate  terminated  April  i,  1869.  He  resigned  to  ac- 
cept a  position  as  teacher  of  Natural  Sciences  in  Peddie  Institute.  He 
was  a  well  trained  man,  scholarly  in  his  habits,  well  read.  Leaving  New- 
Jersey  he    settled  at  Kennebunkport,   Me.     He  was  bom  March  27,  1821 


56 

graduating  at  Colby  University  in  1843,  dying  November  25,  1894.  He 
was  an  able  and  instructive  preacher,  well  versed  in  the  Natural  Sciences, 
trained  also  as  a  physician.  His  preaching  was  instructive.  As  a  pastor 
he  was  of  the  building  up  kind. 

ELEVENTH  PASTOR. 

Rev.  O.  P.  Eaches,  of  Nicetown,  Philadelphia,  became  pastor  June  1, 
1S70.  The  relation  of  pastor  and  people  remains  unbroken  November  i, 
1895.  These  years  have  been  years  of  quiet  but  steady  growth.  During 
this  period  the  old  house  has  been  thoroughly  changed  so  as  to  fit  it  for 
Sunday  school  work.  Chairs  have  taken  the  place  of  fixed  benches.  A 
piano  has  been  introduced  to  help  the  music.  The  main  house  of  wor- 
ship has  also  been  made  more  beautiful  and  serviceable.  The  grounds  in 
the  rear  have  been  made  attractive.  The  building  on  the  adjoining  prop- 
erty has  been  purchased  to  furnish  a  home  for  the  aged  members  of  the 
church.  It  has  been  called  "  The  Livingstone  Home,"  in  commemoration 
of  Brother  C.  W.  Livingstone,  who  left  a  bequest  of  one  thousand  dollars 
for  this  purpose.  The  Sunday  school  with  its  modern  methods  of  study 
is  almost  a  new  creation.  New  methods  of  work  have  been  introduced. 
The  Woman's  Foreign  Mission  Society  was  organized  April,  1872.  The 
Woman's  Home  Mission  Society  was  organized  April,  1883.  Both  of  them 
have  been  very  helpful  in  begetting  a  missionary  spirit  in  the  church. 
The  "Farther  Lights  "  was  organized  May  17,  1879,  to  give  opportunity 
for  work  for  young  women.  The  Young  Men's  Mission  Society  was  or- 
ganized November  3,  1893.  The  Little  Helper's  Mission  Band  was  organ- 
ized May  1889.  The  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  that  has  been  for  years  one  of 
the  most  efficient  helpers  of  the  church,  was  organized  November  10, 
1882.  It  has  rai.sed  and  expended  for  the  church  nearly  three  thousand 
dollars.  The  Endeavor  Society  was  organized  December  28,  1886.  This 
Society  with  its  Committees,  its  devotion,  its  prayer  meetings,  its  soci- 
ables, its  cottage  prayer  meetings,  its  counses  of  lectures,  has  been  a 
great  spiritual  blessing  to  the  church.  The  Junior  Endeavor  Society  was 
organized  May  20,  1894. 

For  the  greater  efficiency  of  the  church  four  women  deacons  were 
chosen  in  1890.  It  has  proved  to  be  a  wise  step.  Ten  assistants  to  the 
deacons  were  appointed  in  1891,  thereby  giving  one  person  for  each  of  the 
twenty  divisions  into  which  the  church  is  divided.  By  an  act  of  the  Leg- 
islature in  1S94  the  church  increased  its  trustees  from  seven  to  fifteen. 
The  mission  at  Jamesbure:  was  established  May  18,  1S85,  with  thirteen 
members.     Rev.  C.  A.  Schlipf  acted  as  pastor  from  the  first  to  September 


57 
30,  1894  The  meetiny;^  house  was  dedicated  February  16,  1887.  Since 
that  time  the  parsonage  has  been  built.  The  entire  property-  is  worth  five 
thousand  dollars  on  which  rests  a  debt  of  $800.  Fiftj'-four  members  were 
dismissed  to  form  the  church  there,  which  was  organized  as  an  independ- 
ent Baptist  church  October  16,  1894. 

In  1893  Mr.  Wilson  G.  Hunt  left  a  bequest  of  ten  thousand  dollars  to 
the  church,  which  he  suggested  might  be  used  for  a  new  organ  and  for 
the  musical  purposes  of  the  church.     The  entire  sum   has  been  invested. 

PARSONAGE. 

By  a  convej'ance  from  Joseph  South  to  Thomas  Allen,  Wilson  Hunt, 
Thomas  Slack,  Aaron  Forman  and  Redford  Job,  Trustees,  bearing  date 
November  r7th,  1817,  the  Church  became  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  seventy 
acres,  lying  on  the  east  side  of  the  York  road,  about  one  mile  from  town. 
This  was  occupied  by  the  pastors  of  the  Church  until  1857,  at  which 
time  it  was  sold.  In  187 (  a  parsonage  was  built  in  the  town,  at  a  cost 
of  nearly  $5,000. 

DISCIPLINE  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

From  the  first,  the  Church  meetings  have  borne  witness  to  a  desire  to 
maintain  the  truth.  In  1748,  members  were  disciplined  for  non-attend- 
ance at  the  business  meetings  of  the  church.  In  1767  appears  the  first 
exclusion  for  error  in  doctrine.  The  act  of  exclusion  is  called  the  solemn 
ordinance  of  excommunication.  The  steps  previous  to  exclusion  were, 
visitation,  suspension  from  the  Lord's  supper.  To  many  of  the  acts  of 
exclusion  are  appended  the  words,  "  May  he  be  saved  in  the  day  of 
Christ."  From  the  beginning  of  the  Church  to  1855,  the  exclusions  were 
announced  publicly  on  the  Lord's  day.  The  custom  has  since  fallen  into 
abej-ance.  Occasions  of  discipline  have  been,  attandance  at  assemblies 
for  dancing,  breaches  of  trust,  betting  and  horse  racing,  signing  petitions 
for  tavern  license  One  colored  man  was  excluded  for  running  away 
from  his  master.  In  the  olden  times  man}-  slaves  were  members  of  the 
Church.  Upon  the  records  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  past  are  the 
names  of  hundreds  of  men  and  women  over  whom  the  church  has  exer- 
cised a  tender  concern  when  the}- were  out  of  the  wa}'.  Many  of  these 
were  won  back  again  to  a  godly  life.  The  officers  of  the  Church  have  not 
been  exempt  from  this  Church  scrutiny.  On  March  12,  1757,  appears  the 
following:  "Whereas  Josiah  Davison,  a  member  in  this  v.hurch,  and 
formerly  chosen  as  an  Elder  in  this  Church,  but  for  a  long  season  has  ab- 
sented himself  from  his  place,  to  the  dishonor  of  religion  and  dissatis- 


58 

faction  of  the  church,  being  several  times  reproved  or  called  upon  to  show 
reason  for  his  conduct,  on  his  non-compliance  the  church  have  thought 
fit  to  exclude  him  from  eldership  and  the  Church  willing  to  make  further 
trial  leaving  the  event  to  divine  power  have  appointed  Brother  Samuel 
Cheeseman  as  messenger  to  inform  said  Davison  unless  he  doth  appear  at 
our  next  meeting  of  conference  and  give  satisfaction  to  the  Church  for 
his  conduct,  may  expect  to  be  laid  under  censure."  The  Church  meet- 
ings have  always  been  occasions  for  settling  private  differences.  In  1830 
two  good  men,  long  since  in  Heaven,  were  b}'  vote  of  the  church  requested 
to  remain  from  the  Lord's  Supper  until  they  became  rconciled  to  each 
other.  The  settlement  of  difficulties  between  Church  members  by  arbi- 
tration forms  a  part  of  the  Church  covenant. 

GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

At  its  formation,  the  Church  had  ruling  elders  as  well  as  deacons.  The 
deacons  had  charge  of  raising  moneys,  more  strictly  financial  work.  The 
ruling  elders  filled  a  more  spiritual  office.  In  the  absence  of  the  pastor, 
it  was  the  province  of  the  elders  to  carry  on  the  Church  worship.  It  is 
doubtful  whether  women  voted  in  the  early  Church  meetings.  We  find 
this  record  October  2d,  1784  :  "  And  those  male  members  that  omit  at- 
tending upon  the  appointed  days,  shall  render  an  account  for  their  not  at- 
tending at  the  next  meeting."  It  was  a  grave  question  before  the 
Association  in  1746,  whether  women  should  have  their  votes  recorded. 
The  last  ruling  elder  was  elected  in  1798.  There  has  never  been  any  ser- 
ious trouble  in  the  Church  arising  from  parties  in  the  Church.  Years  ago 
the  Church  was  in  doubt  what  to  do  in  the  ca.se  of  a  wrongdoing  member. 
The  Church  invited  a  Council  of  neighboring  churches.  When  no 
churches  responded  the  Church  voted,  "Resolved,  that  we  settle  the. 
difficulty  ourselves."  The  Church  has  been  eminentlj^  peaceful  and  peace 
living. 

A  LIST  OF  RULING  ELDERS. 

Malakiah  Bonham;  elected  November  i,  1745;  dismissed  1749. 

William  Cheeseman;  elected  November  i,  1745.  . 

Thomas  Morford;  elected  November  i,  1745. 

Josiah  Davison;  elected  November,  1748;  deposed  March  12,  1757.  : 

Reuben  Major;  elected  May  12,  1766. 

John  Chamberlain;  elected  May  12,  1766. 

Thomas  Dey;  elected  June  8,  1798.  .  ^  .:. 


DEACONS,  1S95. 


59 
A  LIST  OF  DEACONS. 

Thomas  Dey;  elected  April  i6,  1785. 

Daniel  Hutchinson;  elected  April  16,  1785. 

William  Tindall;  elected  April  16,  1785 

William  Cheeseman;   elected  Sept.   30,    1786;    dismissed   April  21,  1796. 

William  Ball;  elected  April  21,  1796;  dismissed. 

Joseph  Cheeseman;  elected  April  26,  1796;  dismis.sed. 

John  Flock;  elected  June  8,  1798;  dismissed. 

John  Morford;  elected  June  8,  1798. 

Enoch  Chamberlain;  elected  August  23,  1802;  died  April  24,  1832. 

John  Havens,  Sr. ;  elected  April  24,  1S04;  dismissed  September  10,  1804. 

John  Vaughn;  elected  April  23,  1805. 

Thomas  Allen;  elected  April  2^,  1805;  died  February  13,  1855. 

Wilson  Hunt;  elected  August  25,  r8i2;  died  September  24,  1S23. 

Archibald  Forman;  elected  August  25,  1812;  died  November  15,  1816. 

Andrew  Seger;  elected  during  Mr.  Seger's  pastorate;  died. 

Samuel  Allen;  elected  during  Mr.  Seger's  pastorate;  died  Aug.  30,  1857. 

John  Fisher;  elected  during  Mr.  Seger's  pastorate;  died  Sept.  23,  1S63. 

Thomas  Ely;  elected  during  Mr.  Seger's  pastorate;  died  Aug.  21,  i860. 

Enoch  Allen;  elected  July  30,  1853;  died  May  30,  18S6. 

Matthew  Rue;  elected  July  30,  1853;  dismissed  June  26,  1890. 

T.  S.  Snedeker;  elected  January  24,  1863;  died  August  31,  1868. 

John  Woolley;  elected  January  24.  1863;  dismissed  July  11,  1872. 

Randolph  Chamberlain;  elected  Januar}-  24,  1S63;  died  Dec.  30,  1891. 

John  M.  Allen;  elected  January  24,  1863;  died  September  27,  1873. 

R.  M.  Job;  elected  March  28,  1S74;  died  October  26,  1874. 

L.  C.  Mount;  elected  April  i,  1876;  dismissed  May  27,  18S2. 

John  Perrine;  elected  April  26,  1890;  died  April,  1892. 

Thomas  M.  Dey;  elected  April  26,  1890. 

John  E.  Allen;  elected  April  26,  1890. 

John  Jemison;  elected  April  26,  1890. 

J.  D.  Chamberlain;  elected  April  26,  1890. 

C.  E.  Cole;  elected  April  26,  1890;  dismissed  October  12,  1S93. 

B.  P.  Stout;  elected  April  26,  1890;  dismissed  January  12,  1893. 

Henry  W.  Robbins,  elected  April  26,  1890;  dismissed  Nov.  21,  1895. 

Alexander  Mason;  elected  May  17,  1893. 

Forman  Hutchinson;  elected  Maj'  27,  1S93. 


.    6o 

DEACONESSES. 

Mrs.  M.  M.  Job;  elected  March  26,  1887. 

Mrs.  D.  W.  Perrine;  elected  March  26,  1887.   • 

Mrs.  A.  E.  Chamberlain;  elected  April  26,  1890. 

Mrs.  Hattie  Cunningham;  elected  April  26,  1S90;  dismissed  Jan.  11,  1894. 

It  is  probable  that  in  the  earlier  history  of  the  church,  some  filled  these 
offices  whose  names  are  not  recorded.  Of  the  forty  seven  who  have  filled 
the  office  of  elder  and  deacon  all  are  dead  but  thirteen — of  these,  two  are 
serving  other  churches  as  deacons.  One  of  the  elders  was  deposed  from 
office,  but  not  excluded  from  the  church.  The  church  records  speak  of 
some  of  them  as  pillars  of  the  church.  The  experience  of  Thomas  Allen, 
who  served  the  church  as  deacon  for  fifty  3'ears,  was  deemed  so  clear  and 
spiritural  that  the  church  voted  to  have  it  printed.  The  original  ex- 
perience on  faded  paper,  ninety  years  old,  is  in  possession  of  the  church. 
A  Ruling  Elder  of  the  First  Presbj-terian  Church  in  Cranbury,  he  was 
convinced  of  the  scripturalness  of  our  views  while  in  an  accidental  way 
attending  a  baptismal  occasion.  The  church  in  all  its  history  has  been 
greatly  blessed  in  having  wise  and  spiritually  minded  leaders. 

LICENSED    PREACHERS. 

1.  Petek  Wilson.     His  history  has  been  given  above. 

2.  Malakiah  Bonham.  He  was  one  of  the  constituent  members  of 
the  church,  subsequently  chosen  a  Ruling  Elder.  He  was  ordained  in 
1749  as  pastor  of  the  Kingwood  church  by  a  council  consisting  of  Rev. 
Mr.  Miller  and  Rev.  James  Carman.  He  continued  in  the  pastorate  until 
Februar}'  17,  1757,  when  he  was  refused  the  pulpit  on  account  of  an  evil 
report  that  was  spread  concerning  him.  He  was  excluded  from  the 
church  November  24,  1761.     He  died  in  1789  in  the  76th  j'ear  of  his  age. 

3.  Alexander  McGowan.  He  was  licensed  July  30,  1790.  He  was 
a  native  of  Ireland.  He  became  a  Baptist  while  preparing  to  meet  Rev. 
Peter  Wilson  whom  he  had  challenged  to  public  debate  in  Trenton  on  the 
subject  of  baptism.  The  public  heard  no  controversy,  but  witnessed  a 
baptism  instead.  Tradition  asserts  that  he  was  pastor  of  a  Presbj'terian 
church  in  that  place.  Soon  after  he  settled  at  New  Mills,  now  Pember- 
ton,  and  in  1795  we  find  him  alternating  between  that  place  and  Mount 
Holly.  He  subsequently  preached  at  Evesham,  now  Marlton.  He  died 
in  1815.     He  was  a  man  of  great  ability  and  deep  piety. 

4.  David  Reese.  He  was  licensed  January  7,  1795.  He  died  in  1796. 
It  was  a  short  life — we  hope  a  useful  one. 


6i 

5.  Peter  Groom.     He  was  licensed  January  7,  1795.     He  at  once  be 
came  pastor  of  the  West  Creek   church.     We  find  in  the  minutes  of  the 
Philadelphia   Association,    in    1807,   this  record:  "We  announce  to  the 
churches  the  afflictive  tidings  that  our  beloved  brother,  Peter  Groom,  has 
been  removed  by  death  this  year." 

6.  John  Cooper.  He  was  licensed  January  24,  1805.  He  was  or- 
dained as  an  itinerant  preacher  at  Hightstown  by  Rev.  Peter  Wilson. 
Samuel  Jones  and  William  White.  He  was  subsequently  excluded,  but 
restored  November  24,  iSri.  He  preached  for  a  time  at  Penn's  Neck. 
He  was  again  excluded  at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  in  1828.  He  was  the  source 
of  some  difficulty  between  this  church  and  the  Middletown  church.  The 
Philadelphia  Association  appointed  a  committee  of  seven  men  in  1805  to 
settle  the  difficulties.  The  difficulty  was  adjusted  by  the  exclusion  of 
Cooper  by  this  church 

7.  Joshua  E.  Rue.  He  was  licensed  August  27,  1S44  ;  ordained  as 
pastor  at  Jacobstown,  January  30,  1S45.  He  served  subsequently  as  pas- 
tor at  Sandy  Ridge  and  Scotch  Plains  ;  was  agent  for  the  Home  Mission 
Society  and  the  American  Bible  Union.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
Peddie  Institute,  acting  for  a  time  as  its  financial  agent.  He  died  while 
living  a  retired  life  in  North  Carolina  in  October,  1870,  aged  70.  He  was 
a  man  of  marked  ability  in  his  knowledge  of  the  scriptures. 

8.  Charles  Cox.  He  was  baptized  December,  1841  ;  licensed  January 
30,  1842.  He  was  ordained  at  Hightstown  and  became  the  pastor  at 
Squan.  He  was  subsequently  pastor  at  Hilltown,  Pa.,  Salem,  Backwood- 
town.  Allowaystown  and  Kettle  Creek,  N.  J.  He  died  in  1871,  aged 
"JT,  years.  One  of  his  sons.  Rev.  S.  L.  Cox,  entered  the  ministry  and  has 
for  years  done  valuable  service. 

9.  John  Harvey.  He  was  licensed  September  26,  1858,  He  was  after- 
ward dismissed  to  the  Mariner's  Bethel,  Philadelphia.  He  labored  several 
years  among  the  seamen.  He  then  went  to  England,  preaching  until  the 
time  of  his  death. 

ro.  James  H.  Hyatt.  He  was  licensed  Januar}' 5,  1S69.  He  became 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Dividing  Creek.  He  has  since  served  as  pastor 
the  churches  at  Great  Valley,  Hepzibah  and  Coleraine,  Penna.  He  has 
for  several  years  been  pastor  of  the  church  at  Bethlehem  in  this  State. 
His  pastorates  have  always  been  attended  with  great  blessings. 

II.  Arthur  W.  Stockwin.  He  was  licensed  June  20,  1875.  He  was 
ordained  pastor  of  the  New  Baltimore  church,  N.  Y.  He  afterward  was 
pastor  at  Albany,  N.  Y.     He  went  to  England  about  ten  years  ago,  since 


62 

which  time  no  accounts  have  been  received   from  him      He  was  a  man 
very  earnest  in  spirit. 

12.  Levi  H.  Copeland.  He  was  licensed  September  25,  1875.  He 
was  ordained  at  West  Camden.  Me.  He  afterward  served  the  churches  at 
South  Ambo}'  and  Calvary,  Trenton,  Milestown,  Pa.  He  is  now  pastor 
at  Skowhegan,  Me.,  where  he  is  doing  a  fine  work. 

13.  John  B.  L'Hommedieu.  He  was  licensed  October  2,  1875.  He 
finished  his  course  at  Crozer  Seminary  and  accepted  a  call  to  Babylon, 
L.  I-  He  afterward  was  pastor  at  Port  Jefl^erson,  Staten  Island.  He  is 
now  pastor  of  the  Sherman  Avenue  Church  of  Newark,  N.  J.  His  min- 
istry has  been  remarkabh-  successful  in  its  results.  He  is  what  his  name 
means,  a  man  of  God. 

14.  Charles  A.  Schlipf.  Joined  our  church  by  letter  from  Newark, 
September  26,  1885,  taking  charge  of  the  Mission  at  Jamesburg.  Here 
his  devotion  and  untiring  earnestness  were  greatly  blessed.  He  was  ex- 
amined by  a  Council  held  in  this  place  and  was  ordained  at  Jamesburg 
Februarv  16,  1S87.  He  continued  as  pastor  there  until  1894,  and  then 
entered  pastoral  work  at  Killaloe,  Canada. 

15.  John  Schlipf.  A  son  of  the  above,  was  licensed  by  the  church. 
While  pursuing  his  studies  in  the  Rochester  Seminary,  within  a  short 
period  of  graduation,  he  was  drowned  April  28,  1890. 

16.  William  C.  Martin.  Was  licensed  to  preach  January  21,  1888. 
After  finishing  his  course  in  Crozer  he  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the 
Cramer  Hill  Church  March  31,  1891.  Serving  here  acceptably  until  1S94, 
he  is  now  doing  an  important  work  at  Noank,  Conn. 

17.  W.  W.  Wakeman.  Was  baptized  September  25,  1881,  while  a 
student  in  Peddie  Institute.  After  finishing  his  studies  at  Brown  and 
Newton,  he  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  Hampton  Falls  Church,  N  H. 
He  has  already  done  a  large  work  and  gives  promise  of  large  usefulness. 

18.  Joseph  Schlipf.  Was  baptized  December  17,  1SS5.  He  was 
licensed  to  preach  December  14,  1893.  He  will  finish  his  studies  in 
Rochester  Seminary  next  j-ear, 

19.  Theodore  Baumgardner.  Was  received  by  letter  from  a  church 
in  Russia.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  December  14,  1893.  He  also  will 
finish  his  course  at  Rochester  next  year. 

20.  Charles  R.  Bacon.  While  a  member  with  us  was  licensed  to 
preach.  He  is  now  in  the  last  year  of  his  study  at  the  Newton  Theologi- 
cal Seminary. 


63 
ASSOCIATIONAL  CONNECTIONS. 
In  1746  the  Church  joined  the  Philadelphia  Association.  We  find  this 
record  October,  1747  :  "Concluded,  that  the  Church  shall  contribute  to- 
ward the  expense  of  the  messengers  on  their  journey  to  the  Association." 
Attendance  at  the  Association  would  sometimes  mean  a  journey  of  a  hun- 
dred miles  on  horseback.  Under  September,  1793,  the  following  :  "No 
Association  held  this  year  at  Philadelphia  on  account  of  the  yellow  fever 
there."  Let  us  read  the  names  of  some  of  our  members  who  one  hundred 
3ears  ago  and  more  met  in  consultation  in  the  Association  :  John  Tin- 
dall,  William  Cubberly,  John  Morford,  Abraham  Freeling,  William  Cow- 
enhoven,  Peter  Jobes,  Nehemiah  De\%  John  Flock,  Thomas  Appleget, 
Samuel  Minor.  They  are  simplj-  names  to  us,  but  these  were  the  men 
who  carried  this  church  \ears  ago.  For  the  promotion  of  State  growth 
it  withdrew  in  181 1.  In  that  year,  December  3,  the  New  Jensej^  Associa- 
tion, consisting  of  fourteen  Churches,  was  formed  at  Hightstown.  Oc- 
tober 25,  182S,  the  Central  Association,  consisting  of  seven  churches,  was 
formed  at  Hightstown.  Here  also  the  Trenton  Association  held  its  first 
anniversary,  in  1865,  numbering  ten  churches.  It  has  proved  a  good 
place  at  which  to  organize  associations.  Here  also  in  1894  was  organized 
the  Woman's  Home  Mi-ssion  Society  of  the  Trenton  Association. 

DOCTRINES  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

The  Church  has  always  aimed  to  stand  for  the  New  Testament  teach- 
ings as  it  understands  them.  It  stood  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago, 
— it  stands  to-daj-  for  a  regenerate  membership — it  holds  that  the  Church 
and  its  ordinances  are  not  for  the  saving  of  people,  but  for  the  saved  peo- 
ple. It  has  alvva3'S  stood  for  the  supremacy  of  Jesus  Christ  in  His 
Church.  It  stood  for  the  rights  of  conscience,  and  the  separation  of  Church 
and  State  in  these  dark  da^s  v^'hen  large  parts  of  our  country  had  not 
learned  that  fundamental  doctrine,  the  right  of  each  man  to  make  his  own 
creed  subject  to  Christ  alone.  In  a  few  details  we  have  departed  from  the 
practice  of  our  fathers.  We  have  no  Ruling  Elders.  But  for  these  there 
is  no  -scripture  warrant.  We  do  not  practice  laying  on  of  hands  on  the 
membership  as  was  the  practice  of  the  older  churches.  For  substance  of 
doctrine  the  first  pastor,  James  Carman,  would  express  our  views  and 
practices  to  da}'.  It  is  probable  that,  at  the  first,  the  Philadelphia  Con- 
fession of  Faith  was  adopted  by  the  Church.  For  many  years  past  the 
New  Hampshire  Confession  of  Faith  has  been  the  accepted  expression  of 
our  views.  From  the  first  the  Church  has  been  .strict  communion.  We 
find  in  a  Church  letter  granted  in  1757,  these  words  :  "  We  have  granted 


64 

the  liberty  to  join  in  Communion  with  any  Church  of  like  faith  and 
order." 

In  1749  the  Church  began  to  take  collections  at  the  Lord's  Supper  for 
the  needy  of  the  Church.     The  custom  has  been  maintained  to  the  present. 

In  1750  it  was  decided  to  take  up  a  collection  every  Sabbath  day. 

The  Lord's  Supper  was  observed  quarterly  from  the  founding  of  the 
Church  until  1858,  when  it  was  voted  to  observe  it  every  two  months. 
The  quarterly  meeting  days  were  occasions  for  large  gatherings  for  miles 
around. 

The  first  recorded  Thanksgiving  service  was  held  in  1837. 

BEGINNINGS  OF  THINGS. 

In  the  record  book,  December,  1751,  we  find  this  :  "  Concluded  that  all 
Church  members,  and  others  that  find  freedom  to  comply  herewith,  do 
endeavor  to  instruct  their  children  in  their  catechism  in  order  to  be  cate 
chized  in  the  Church  every  second  Sabbath  in  the  month,  from  the 
second  Sabbath  in  April  to  the  second  in'October."  Before  Robert  Raikes 
ever  thought  of  Sunday  Schools,  here  was  a  germ  from  which  this  mighty 
power  was  developing.  One  hundred  and  thirty  years  ago  this  Church 
began  its  work  of  catechising  the  young.  It  is  not  known  when  the  first 
Sunday  School  was  established  here.  Deacon  E.  Allen  remembers  receiv 
ing  instruction  in  the  gallery  of  the  church  about  eighty  years  ago.  The 
Church  for  ^-ears  has  elected  the  officers  of  the  Sunday  School.  It  also 
bears  all  the  running  expenses  of  the  school.  The  first  allusion  to  the 
Sunday  School  in  the  records  is  in  1858. 

Among  these  who  served  as  Su])erintendents  of  the  school  have  been 
Gabriel  Young,  Enoch  Allen,  John  Woolley,  H.  A.  Pratt  and  John  E. 
Allen  since  1874.  The  Home  Department  of  the  Sunday  School  was 
established  in  1894. 

September  19,  1788,  the  following  resolution  was  passed  :  "  Agreed  that 
every  male  and  female  pay  yearly  from  one  shilling  to  six  in  proportion 
to  their  ability,  into  the  hands  of  William  Tindall,  in  order  to  establish  a 
fund  to  pay  travelling  preachers."  What  is  this  but  a  Home  Mission  So- 
ciety over  one  hundred  years  ago.  These  travelling  preachers  were  men 
who  were  laying  the  foundations  of  the  prosperity  and  privileges  that  we 
now  enjoy.  The  three  oldest  churches  in  our  State,  Middletown,  (1688), 
Piscatawa}'  (1689),  Cohansey  (1690),  were  all  the  outgrowth  of  one  travel- 
ling preacher,  Elias  Keach.  It  is  a  source  of  comfort  and  rejoicing  to  day 
that  our  Church  helped  to  do  work  of  this  kind  before  the  days  of  organ- 
izations.      There  was  a  desire  from  the  first  for  the   broadening  of  the 


65 

Kingdom.  The  second  Saturda}-  in  June,  1750— "  Concluded  that  the 
Church  and  all  others  that  desire  the  advancment  of  the  Gospel  should 
lay  by  them  for  collection  the  first  Sabbath  day  in  each  month."  This  is 
the  heart  of  all  missions,  at  home  and  abroad.  This  was  the  spirit  of 
William  Carey  before  Carey  was  born.  A  Mite  Society  was  in  the  church 
as  earl}'  as  1786.  In  the  old  Bible  are  the  following  words  :  "  Presented 
to  the  Baptist  Church  at  Hightstown  by  the  young  women  belonging  to 
that  society  "  And,  "  This  Bible  was  rebound  in  1789  by  the  Female 
Mite  Society."  The  women  of  the  church  have  always  been  the  efficient 
helpers  in  church  work.  The  church  passed  the  following  in  1849  :  "  Re- 
solved, that  the  sisters  have  the  privilege  of  painting  the  meeting  house 
if  the  money  can  be  raised."  The  women  of  the  church  have  usually 
changed  the  burdens  upon  the  church  into  privileges  for  service.  The  in- 
troduction of  instrumental  music  into  the  church  was  the  occasion  of 
much  grave  discussion  and  occupied  the  attention  of  many  church  meet- 
ings. Some  yet  remember  the  old  time  custom  of  two  deacons  standing 
in  front  of  the  pulpit,  one  lining  out  the  hymns,  the  other  leading  the 
singing.  Instrumental  music  was  introduced.  The  church  afterwards 
voted  out  the  organ.  Then  it  voted  that  the  melodeon  should  be  used. 
Some  protested  that  they  would  not  remain  in  the  meeting  house  during 
the  singing.  Gradually  this  feeling  passed  away  and  the  organ  came  to 
stay.  For  a  long  time  a  base  viol  was  used  in  the  services.  For  man}' 
years  the  church  employed,  under  salary,  some  one  to  lead  the  singing. 
Among  those  thus  employed  were  Peter  Bilyeu,  Mr.  Dafter,  Peter  Bergen, 
E.  R.  Cole.  The  church  has  been  blessed  with  much  service  of  sanctified 
song,  freeU"  given.  Among  the  leaders  of  church  singing  in  recent  years 
has  been  notabl}',  Mrs.  M.  M.  Job.  The  oldest  hyiun  book  preserved  is 
that  of  Watts  &  Rippon's  collection.  Then  came  the  Psalmist,  the  new 
Sabbath  Tune  and  Hymn  Book,  the  Baptist  Hymnal,  now  in  use. 

CHURCH  CLERKS. 
In  the  early  years  thej'  were  Malakiah  Dunham,  William  Cheeseman, 
John  Hull,  William  Tindall.  In  the  last  seventy  years  the  following 
have  acted  as  Clerks  :  Enoch  Allen,  Richard  Barker,  John  Woolley, 
Hiram  Mount,  T.  C.  Young,  James  M.  Cubberly,  W.  P.  Forman,  C.  E. 
Cole,  C.  B.  Cole,   C.  E.  Stults. 

CHURCH  TREASURERS. 

No  names  can  be  given  for  the  earl)-  years  of  the  church.  In  the  last 
sixty  years  it  has  been  served  by  Enoch  Allen,  Daniel  Slack,  W.  P.  For- 
man, John  Jamison. 


66 

SEXTONS  OF  THE  CHURCH. 
Thomas  Morris  had  charge  of  the  first  house  at  Cranbur}-  in  1745.  Ben- 
jamin Ward  had  charge  of  the  first  house  at  this  place  at  a  salary  of  ten 
dollars  per  year.  The  position  was  afterwards  filled  b}'  E.  R.  Cole. 
Orpha  Giberson  was  sexton  for  twenty  years,  and  had  charge  of  the  grave 
yard  for  fifty  years.  Her  compensation  was  twenty  dollars  per  \'ear.  She 
lived  in  the  family  of  Rev.  Peter  Wilson;  had  the  care  of  him  during  his 
last  illness  and  often  spoke  of  his  Christian  character.  D.  W.  Perrine  has 
had  charge  for  the  last  thirtj'-two  years. 

WHAT  THE  CHURCH  HAS  DONE. 

It  has  planted  six  churches  that  abide — First  Trenton,  Hamilton  Square, 
Penn's  Neck,  Manasquan,  Jamesburg.  The  church  at  Washington, 
South  River,  lapsed  into  an  anti-mission  spirit.  It  therefore  ceased  to 
grow — it  has  almost  ceased  to  live.  But  then  by  its  propogation  of  Baptist 
influence  it  prepared  the  way  for  the  formation  in  1871  of  the  efficient 
Baptist  church  in  that  place.  The  work  at  Chee-sequakes,  done  3'ears 
ago  by  the  church,  has  been  almost  extinguished  by  an  anti-mission  in- 
fluence. We  have  had  a  noble  line  of  ministers  and  elders,  and  deacons, 
and  saintly  men  and  women.  It  has  not  done  all  it  could — all  it  might 
have  done.  It  has  given  to  the  Kingdom  many  good  ministers.  It  has 
given  to  other  churches  hundreds  of  good  men  and  women  to  be  their 
helpers.  It  has  helped  to  raise  up  and  develop  hundreds  of  men  and 
women  in  this  community,  many  of  whom  have  been  real  helpers  of  Jesus 
Christ.  It  has  helped  many  good  causes  in  money.  No  record,  in  the 
early  years,  is  kept  of  moneys  raised  for  home  expenses  or  benevolence. 
For  the  last  twent3'-five  years  the  amount  reported  for  home  expenses  is 
$72,650.90;  for  benevolence,  $2g, =,0^.70. 

The  number  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  the  church,  so  far  as  re- 
ported to  the  Association  from  the  beginning  to  June,  1895,  has  been 
1,998.  Most  of  these  are  dead.  Through  man}'  of  them  life  was  made 
richer  through  their  living,  and  heaven  was  made  richer  by  their  coming. 
Alongside  of  many  of  these  names  are  words  expressive  of  their  life  and 
their  manner,  of  departure  from  life.  "His  last  words  were,  '  Come  Lord 
Jesus.'  "  "  Died  rejoicing  in  the  Lord."  "  Died  triuniphantl}'  "  "Anxious 
to  depart  to  be  with  God." 

May  these  departed  worthies  be  a  constant  inspiration  to  a  worthier 
life  for  all  the  remaining  members. 

In  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Lewis  Smith  steps  were  taken  to  re-establish 
our  work  in  Cranburj'.     Services  were  held  there  —an  eligible  lot  was  at 


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67 

our  disposal.  His  untimely  death  frustrated  these  plans.  About  twenty 
seven  years  ago  it  was  under  consideration  to  start  an  interest  at  Perrine- 
ville.  Here  also  an  eligible  site  was  offered,  but  the  time  did  not  seem 
ripe  for  the  undertaking.  INIay  the  Lord  give  to  us  a  wise  and  under- 
standing heart  that  we  may  see  opening  opportunities  and  lay  hold  upon 
them.  What  we  have  done  in  men  saved,  in  ministers  given,  in  churches 
formed,  in  influences  for  righteousness  for  a  century  and  a  half,  what  we 
have  done,  this  will  abide. 

GROWTH  OF  BAPTIST  PRINCIPLES. 

When  this  church  was  established,  Benedict  says,  it  was  the  fortieth  in 
the  countr\-.  The\-  were  all  small  and  struggling.  Meeting  houses  were 
nailed  up  by  the  authorities  for  the  crime  of  teaching  Baptist  principles. 
Old  Samuel  Adams  in  1775,  when  waited  upon  in  Philadelphia  by  a 
deputation  of  Baptists  seeking  relief  from  oppression,  said,  that  it  was  as 
hopeless  to  expect  the  separation  of  Church  and  State  as  to  stop  the 
shining  of  the  sun.  We  may  as  a  church,  claim  a  humble  part  in  the 
work  of  effecting  a  separation  of  Church  and  State  in  our  countr\-  and  the 
complete  conquest  of  the  rights  of  conscience.  We  were  members  of  the 
Association  that  appointed  Dr.  Samuel  Jones  to  wait  upon  Congress  in 
that  year  and  urge  the  right  of  religious  libert}-.  That  truth  held  by  our 
Baptist  fathers  alone  is  now  a  universal  blessing,  and  men  wonder  that  it 
required  the  sacrifice  of  propert}-  and  blood  to  get  it. 

To-day  there  are  in  this  land  37,910  Baptist  Churches.  When  the 
Church  was  established  it  is  doubtful  whether  there  were  more  than  two 
thousand  baptised  believers  in  our  land.  To-day  there  are  3,637,421 
members  of  Baptist  churches.  Including  all  those  who  hold  with  us,  as 
to  believer's  baptism,  there  are  in  our  land  nearly  five  millions  who  have 
been  buried  in  baptism. 

There  was  no  Baptist  paper,  missionar}-  enterprise,  or  school  in  exist- 
ence until  long  after  our  Church  was  established. 

The  past  is  past.  The  present  is  here  to  mould  and  shape  for  the  future- 
Even  while  we  are  here  to-day,  at  this  ver}'  hour,  the  seventeen  men  and 
women  who  were  the  founders  of  this  Church,  were  in  1745  on  November 
I,  in  session.  They  were  counselling,  praj'ing,  looking  up  to  Him 
for  guidance,  looking  on.  Thej^  were  rejoicing  in  that  they  were 
to  have  a  church  home  of  their  own.  They  were  listening  to  the  wise 
counsels  of  Nathanael  Jenkins  and  Jenkin  Jones.  The}'  were  men  and 
women,  who  doing  the  dutj-  for  their  day,  were  also  laying  their  impress 
in   the  future.     Blessed   be  their   memor\-.     Thej-  did   not    see  our  day. 


68 

The}'  would  have  been  bewildered  could  they  have  foreseen  the  growth 
and  the  grandeur  of  the  movements  that  lay  ahead  of  them  We  cannot 
foresee  or  foretell.  Be  it  ours  to  serve  God  supremely,  to  wear  the  yoke 
of  Christ  gladly,  to  stand  by  the  New  Testament  teachings,  to  fill  up  the 
opportunities  that  growingly  present  themselves,  to  win  men  to  the  love 
of  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  train  those  in  our  fellowship  in  the  Christian  life, 
then  shall  we  prove  to  be  a  great  and  permanent  blessing  to  the  few  3-ears 
left  of  this  century,  then  shall  we  also  transmit  a  blessing  to  the  next 
century  and  the  centuries  after  it. 

One  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago  Baptist  principles  were  ostracised  as 
revolutionary,  subversive,  destructive.  They  have  quietly  won  their  way 
— some  of  them  as  that  of  the  rights  of  the  individual  conscience — into 
supremacy.  Our  other  instinctive  principles,  if  they  be  in  accord  with 
the  New  Testament,  must  in  time  also  get  hold  of  all  Christ's  people. 
Our  Church,  in  an  humble  wa\',  has  contributed  to  this  great  change; 
lifting  up  their  hearts  in  prayer. 

WHAT  IS  TO  BE  DONE. 

The  best  part  of  our  histor}-  lies  in  the  future— if  we  be  faithful  to 
Christ.  There  must  be  holier  living,  larger  giving,  wider  planning,  the 
use  of  new  agencies.  In  a  few  years  more  will  be  the  new  century.  We 
have  lived  in  two  centuries.  We  shall  soon  get  sight  of  a  third,  the 
twentieth  centur}-.  No  man  in  1745  would  have  dreamed  of  what  has 
come  to  pass  in  these  past  years.  No  one  can  dream  to-day  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  world  in  its  material,  moral,  social,  intellectual  aspects  in  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years  more,  in  2045,  A.  D.  Then  there  will  be  five 
hundred  million  people  here  New  sciences  will  be  born.  But  they  will 
need  God  and  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Hol}^  Spirit  and  good  men  and  women. 
We  must  bless  these  unseen  days  most  by  being  a  blessing  to-day.  The 
holier  we  are  to-day,  the  holier  will  the  world  be  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years  hence.  May  God  give  to  us  a  correct  knowledge  of  the  scriptures — 
a  love  for  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ — a  scriptural  conception  of  the  church 
and  its  functions,  a  tender  personal  love  for  men,  wisdom  in  using  all  ap- 
pliances in  a  wise  wa}'  to  build  up  the  Kingdom. 

May  God  keep  the  candlestick  in  its  place  until  Jesus  Christ  shall  come 
again  the  second  time  in  person. 

With  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  for  all,  ma}'  we  walk  in  the 
light  as  God  shall  give  us  to  .see  the  light;  if  more  light  shall  break  forth 
from  the  word  may  we  have  hearts  to  welcome  it.  Thus  may  we  hold  the 
truth  entru.sted  to  us,  cultivate  the  heritage  allotted  to  us,  serve  our  gen- 


69 

eration   faithfully  by   the  will  of  God,   and   thus    perpetually  he   fellow 
helpers  to  the  truth. 

May  the  historian  of  2095,  A.  D.,  find  in  us  fellow  helpers  of  the  truth, 
holding  doctrines  that  honor  Christ.  May  the  Lord  Jesus  welcome  our 
members  as  they  one  by  one  pass  into  the  unseen,  and  find  in  the  church 
that  remains  a  witness  that  shall  loyally  speak  for  Him  and  live  for  Him. 

Friday  Afternoon,  November  ist. 

Rev.  J.  L.  Howard  led  in  the  opening  exercises,   by  reading  the 
35th  chapter  of  Isaiah  and  prayer.     The  choir  and  congregation  sung : 
"  O  God,  our  help  in  ages  past," 
and 
"  He  leadeth  me,  O  blessed  thought." 
The  addresses  which  follow,   were  then  made  in  accordance  with 
the  program. 

The  Position  of  Baptists  150  Years  Ago. 

By  Rev.  W.  H.  J.  Parker, 

Pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  at  Middletown,  N,  J. 


It  was  a  period  most  significant  and  vitally  important  in  the  develop- 
ment of  denominationariife,  in  moulding  and  shaping  of  theological 
thought,  in  the  practical  demonstration  of  New  Testament  doctrine.  It  was 
a  period  coincident,  on  the  one  hand  with  the  "great  awakening  "  that 
began  in  New  Fngland  in  1743,  under  the  Elder  Edwards,  and  the  rise  of 
the  New  Lights  under  Whitefield's  preaching,  on  the  other  with  the  rise 
of  unitarianism.  Professor  Vedder  tells  us  that  New  England  Baptists 
stood  as  a  mighty  bulwark  against  this  heresy,  and  as  late  as  iSoo,  of  the 
six  orthodox  churches  which  did  not  succumb  under  its  blighting 
influences,  two  of  them  were  Baptist  Churches. 

I  believe  it  to  be  true  beyond  the  question  of  a  doubt,  indeed  it  is  a 
fundamental  fact  in  historv,  that  one  generation  is  a  very  important 
factor  in  that  which  follows,  that  one  age  is  but  the  preparation  for  the 
subsequent,  that  one  century  has  left  upon  it  the  indelible  stamp  of  the 
one  preceding.  If  this  be  true,  then  the  position  of  Baptists  one  hundred 
and  fifty  years  ago  was  not  materiallv  different  from  that  of  their  brethren 
in  1645.  Thev  believed  what  they  believed  with  all  their  heart  and  soul. 
They  were  not  easily  moved  from  their  convictions  whether  or  not  those 
convictions  were  based  on  the  truth.  John  Calvin  had  been  dead  nearly 
two  hundred  years,  yet  his  teachings  had  a  tenacious  hold  on  the 
theological  thinking  oi  the  eighteenth  century.     We  don't  easily  change 


70 

our  modes  of  belief  and  habits  of  thinking.  This  was  pre  eminently  true 
of  the  fathers  of  1745.     They  stood  for, 

ist.  A  Spiritual  Church.  The  "Half  Way  Covenant"  had  been  a 
pernicious  influence  on  spiritual  life,  destroying  for  the  time  a  spiritual 
church.  It  was  given  to  the  Baptists  of  1745  to  adhere  firml}'  to  the 
doctrines  of  the  New  Testament  and  to  insist  that  citizenship  and  church 
membership  are  not  synonomous,  but  that  the  church  is  "the  body  of 
Christ."     They  insisted, 

2nd.  /;/  a  conscience  superior  to  King  or  Pope  or  Hierarchy;  That 
every  man  has  the  right  to  think  and  believe  as  he  pleases  without  let  or 
hindrances  from  any  earthly  power.  It  was  in  October,  1635,  that  Roger 
Williams  was  banished  from  Salem,  for  holding  that  the  civil  magistrate's 
power  extends  only  to  the  bodies  and  goods,  and  outward  state  of  man. 
Such  was  his  influences  on  the  following  century.     They  held  that 

3rd.  Christ  ivas  Supreme.  Christ  was  "  all  and  in  all."  This  was 
Pauline,  this  was  and  is  the  fundamental  doctrine,  and  with  it  is  the  con- 
sistent practice  of  Baptist  Churches  of  all  ages. 

What  Baptists  Stand  For. 

By  Rev.  F.  C.  Brown, 

Pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Manasquan,  N.J. 


I  bring  the  greetings  of  the  daughter  to  the  mother,  proud  to  be  called 
the  daughter  of  such  a  mother;  and  the  earnest  prayer  and  sincerest  hope 
of  the  davighter  is,  that  what  the  past  has  been  may  be  but  as  the 
dawn  to  the  day  that  shall  shine  with  an  ever-increasing  light  in  the 
years  that  are  yet  to  be.  It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  Baptist  famil}'  from 
the  beginning  to  know  and  to  do  His  will.  Whatever  doctrines  we  may 
inculcate,  whatever  principle  may  control  us,  are  not  in  any  wise  the 
"Ipse  dixit"  of  the  Baptist  Church,  but  the  clear  statements  of  our 
great  head,  Jesus  Christ  Himself 

It  maj-  not  be  necessary  to  tell  3'ou,  "what  Baptist  Churches  stand 
for,"  here  in  this  Baptist  stronghold  where  the  truth  has  been  so  faithfully 
taught  for  a  century  and  a  half,  and  yet,  as  this  is  the  assigned  theme,  I 
cannot  do  otherwise.  There  are  those  here  to-day  perhaps  who  would  fail 
to  agree  with  me  should  I  say  that  we  stand  for  apostolic  succession,  and 
3'et,  I  hazard  the  statement;  looking  away  of  course  from  the  low  idea  of 
a  succession  of  individuals  or  churches  to  the  grander  one  of  spiritual 
succession  by  virtue  of  conformity  to  apostolic  principles  of  faith  and 
practice.  The  very  simplicity  of  our  worship  commends  it  to  the  great 
masses  of  the  people,  who  are  seeking  to  come  to  a  knowledge  of  God  the 
Father,  through  Christ  the  Redeemer,  without  the  intervention  of  priest, 
or  ritual,  or  man  made  creeds. 

We  stand  for  a  regenerated  membership,  believing  that  as  we  are 
members  of  the  mj'stic  body  of  Christ,  even  as  the  bodj-  is  pure,  so  should 
the  members  be.  "  Ye  must  be  born  again."  saith  the  Master;  and  upon 
this   declaration    we   stand,    and  virge  the  impossibility  of  finding   life 


except  by  conformity  with  this  requirement.  "Neither  circumcision 
availeth  anjthing,  nor  uncircumcision,  but  a  new  creature."'  We  stand 
for  baptism  as  the  symbol  of  regeneration;  the  presenting  to  the  world 
of  an  impressive  picture,  of  death  to  the  world  and  a  resurrection  to  a  new 
"life  hid  with  Christ  in  God;"  not  claiming  any  virtue  in  the  water, 
repudiating  the  heresy  of  baptismal  regeneration,  making  the  ordinance 
simplj'  the  outward  symbol  of  an  inward  fact.  They  alone  are  baptized 
who  have  the  witness  of  the  spirit,  "  the  spirit  bearing  witness  with  their 
spirits  that  they  are  the  children  of  God."  We  stand  therefore  for  this, 
that  the  table  of  the  Lord  is  designed  alone  for  His  children,  "  He  that 
eateth  and  drinketh  unworthih',  eateth  and  drinketh  condemnation  to 
himself  not  discerning  the  Lord's  body,"  and  that  body  must  be  spirit- 
uall\'  discerned.  We  would  not  seem  harsh  nor  unkind,  but  feel  that  our 
Father's  table  must  be  guarded  from  those  who  are  unwilling  to  obe}' 
the  Divine  command  as  a  pre-requisite  to  coming  thereto. 

The  Baptist  Church  stands  also  for  reformation,  personal,  social  and 
political.  We  are  in  hearty  accord  with  all  organizations  of  a  kindred 
nature,  whose  object  is  the  reforming  and  reconstructing  of  men  and 
women  on  lines  of  purit}'  and  holiness.  We  desire  that  men  shall  be 
saved  for  this  world,  that  their  gifts  and  talents  and  powers  shall  be 
rescued  from  the  blighting,  blasting  effects  of  sin,  and  that  they  shall  be 
employed  in  the  way  God  designed  they  should  be,  in  behalf  of  their 
families,  of  the  church,  the  communit}',  the  world. 

Again;  We  stand  for  the  right  of  private  judgment.  Every  man  must 
interpret  God  for  himself  b}-  the  Spirit's  aid,  in  accordance  with  his  need. 
Dififerentl}-  constituted  as  we  are,  no  one  view,  and  no  one  interpretation 
will  fit  ever\'  need.  God  is  many  sided  and  the  mightiest  intellects  the 
world  has  ever  produced  have  given  us  but  faint  glimpses,  magnificent 
though  they  may  seem  to  us,  of  the  surpassing  grandeur  of  Him,  whose 
"  habitation  is  clouds  and  darkness."  "  Uye  hath  not  seen  nor  ear  heard, 
neither  have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  the  things  which  God  hath 
prepared  for  them  that  love  Him."  "In  essentials,  therefore  we  stand 
for  unit\-,  in  non-essentials  liberty."  We  stand  for  a  scriptural  interpre- 
tation of  Christ. 

Fidelity  to  the  New  Testament  as  the  Only  Standard  of 

Faith  and  Practice. 

By  Rey.  W.  T.  G.alloway, 

Pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Hamilton  Square,  N.  J. 


If  we  desired,  fifteen  minutes  time  in  the  program,  would  neither  permit 
us  to  glorify  Baptist  histor3'  nor  eulogize  the  long  list  of  Baptist  mart^-rs, 
who  have  surrendered  their  lives  for  a  strict  adherence  to  New  Testament 
truth.  Hence  we  make  a  plea  for  Baptist  consistencj'  in  the  practice  of 
New  Testament  principles.  Seventeen  years  ago  I  united  with  the 
Baptist  Church  because  I  believed  the}-  accepted  the  Bible  as  the  only 


72 

rule  of  faith  and  practice.  But  I  find  many  Baptist  Churches  have 
adopted  a  declaration  of  faith  and  rules  of  order,  both  written  by  men. 
Having  served  as  pastor  of  several  different  Baptist  Churches  I  find 
manv  members  in  these  churches  who  are  sticklers  for  a  strict  adherence 
to  the  teachings  of  these  human  documents. 

In  ca.ses  of  discipline  men  refer  to  the  adopted  manual  rather  than  the 
Bible.  In  this  practice  where  do  we  differ  from  Pedobaptists  ?  Are  we 
entirel}'  free  from  the  bondage  of  creeds  ?  Are  we  consistent  ?  Is  the 
Bible  our  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice  ?  Consistency  will  drive  us  to 
one  of  two  conclusions.  We  must  either  cease  criticising  other  denomi- 
nations for  adopting  creeds  or  stop  adopting  them  ourselves.  It  will  not 
answer  the  question  fairly  to  sa}-  that  the  adoption  of  a  creed  and  politj- 
by  a  Baptist  Church  has  no  significance.  If  they  mean  nothing  with  us 
M^hy  do  we  adopt  them  ?  Why  should  we  adopt  them  if  we  do  not  intend 
to  be  governed  by  them  ?  If  creed  bondage  is  the  bane  of  Christendom 
will  it  not  in  time  work  harm  in  our  churches  as  well  as  others  ? 

ist.  We  affirm  that  the  adoption  of  any  kind  of  human  creed  or  polity 
by  a  church  is  anti  scriptiiral.  It  is  a  reflection  on  the  wisdom  of  the 
Creator.  In  the  New  Testament  Christ  and  the  Apostles  have  laid  down 
rules  and  principles  of  government  for  the  church  that  are  all-inclusive 
and  all-sufficient  for  all  time.  No  finite  mind  can  construct  a  creed  or 
polity  to  suit  all  times  and  all  cases.  All  questions  of  faith  and  govern- 
ment should  be  settled  in  the  light  of  Scriptural  truth.  The  Bible  is  the 
Christian's  Law  Book,  his  court  of  appeal  for  judgment  on  all  matters  in 
the  church. 

2nd  The  adoption  of  a  human  creed  and  polity  is  an  imposition  on 
future  generations.  Why  should  we  be  compelled  to  look  at  the  Bible 
through  dead  men's  glasses  ?  The  reformers  were  onh'  half-waj^  reformed, 
manj-  of  them  came  only  half-way  out  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 
To  impo.se  their  narrow  statements  and  crude  conceptions  of  Bible  truth 
on  coming  generations  of  Christians,  was  an  act  of  preposterous  conceit 
and  self  righteousness  on  their  part.  It  is  also  an  act  of  spiritual  coward- 
ice and  intellectual  stupidity  for  men  of  the  nineteenth  century  to  live 
under  the  bondage  of  creeds  made  by  men  in  the  sixteenth  century.  A 
creed  is  alwaN's  a  narrow,  obscure,  cramped  statement  of  Scriptural  truth, 
if  it  be  always  truth.  All  the  creeds  in  Christendom  do  not  contain  the 
whole  truth  of  the  Bible.  The  Bible  is  always  broader  than  the  creed,  it 
is  broader  than  all  the  creeds.  I^et  all  churches  adopt  the  Bible  and  ask 
future  generations  to  accept  the  Bible  onl}-  as  their  rule  of  faith  and 
practice. 

3rd.  The  adoption  of  a  human  creed  and  church  polity  breaks  the  unit}' 
of  the  Spirit  and  divides  Christendom. 

Paul  shamed  the  Corinthians  for  saying,  "I  am  of  Paul,"  "I  am  of 
Apollos,"    "I  am  of  Cephas,"  and  "  I  am  of  Christ."     I  Cor.  1:12. 

Because  of  this  he  said,  there  is  "  among  3'ou  envN-ing,  strife,  factions, 
ye  are  carnal  and  walk  as  men."     I  Cor.  Ti'.t,. 

Can  we  expect  anything  else  in  the  present  day  so  long  as  churches  are 
saying  b}-  their  adopted  creeds,  "I  am  of  John  Wesley,"  "I  of  John 
Calvin,"  "I  of  Martin  Luther,"  and  if  a  Baptist  "  I  of  the  man  who  wrote 


73 

the  creed  for  the  church  to  which  I  belong."  Oh,  let  us  break  the  creed 
shackles  that  bind  us,  and  with  onl\-  the  Bible  in  our  hands  and  hearts 
prav  "till  we  all  come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith,  and  of  the  knowledge  of 
the  Son  of  God."  Eph.  4:  13.  Christ  prayed  for  his  disciples  to  the 
Father,  "That  they  may  be  one,  as  we  are,"  (one).  John  17:11.  What 
are  we  doing  as  denominations  and  Christians  to  answer  this  prayer? 

The  Church  Grows  by  Givincj. 

By  Rey.  W.  W.  Bullock, 

Pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  AUentown,  N.  J. 


I  know  where  there  is  a  great  spring  in  Bucks  Co.,  Pa.,  which  gushes 
in  almost  unvar3-ing  profusion  out  of  the  earth.  No  frost  was  ever  sharp 
enough  to  congeal  its  surface.  No  prolonged  drouth  ever  perceptibl}- 
diminished  its  volume.  Its  flow  is  strong,  spontaneous,  perpetual,  gener- 
ous. It  gives  constantly  and  grandh',  3'et  it  is  not  impoverished.  It  in- 
deed grows  by  giving,  for  it  sets  in  motion  the  intricate  machinery  of 
several  factories;  the  products  of  which  bring  gain  to  their  owners,  and  to 
the  man}'  who  are  served  by  these  things,  comfort  and  blessing — thus 
giving  it  enlarges  itself,  grows  by  giving.  I  can  realize  how  the  spring 
would  cease  to  be  if  it  did  not  give,  it  continues  because  it  does  give;  its 
flow  does  not  end  when  it  reaches  the  surface  for  it  winds  its  wa}-  about 
the  mill  wheels,  and  through  all  the  play  and  work  of  the  machinery;  and 
further  enlarges  itself  by  increasing  the  volume  of  the  noble  river  into 
which  it  flows. 

This  is  God's  illustration  in  nature  of  the  grace  that  is  enjoined  in 
God's  book.  Sermons  in  stones,  yes,  and  needed  lesson  in  the  gushing 
spring.  This  is  a  beautifully  helpful  wa^'  Ciod  has  of  saying  to  the  church, 
thus  give,  and  you  will  not  onl\-  enrich  others,  but  enlarge  3'ourself. 
Giving  is  a  grace,  larger  promises  are  made  to  it  than  to  any  other.  Lov- 
ing is  a  grace  too,  but  even  loving  depends  for  its  expression  upon  the  grace 
of  giving.  Giving  is  the  weapon  of  love's  conquest.  Jesus  loved,  oh  how 
much,  but  his  love  avails  for  you  and  me  in  this,  '"He  gave  himself  for 
ns,"  he  gave  because  He  loved  ;  He  loved  and  hence  He  gave  "  Greater 
love  hath  no  man  that  this;''  loving  and  giving  belong  together.  We 
niaj'  separate  them  in  thought,  we  cannot  in  fact. 

The  Church  in  order  to  give  scripturall}-,  to  abound  in  this  grace,  must 
make  its  pulse-beat  felt,  far  as  well  as  near.  In  God's  conception  of  the 
Church's  commission,  there  is  no  division  of  our  giving,  as  lor  in.stance. 
Home  Missions,  P'oreign  INIissions,  State  Missions,  Education ,  etc.  The 
field  is  the  world  and  the  command  is  ''go  into  all  the  :co)-l(l  and  preach 
the  Gospel  to  ez'erv  creature."  For  convenience  of  administration  we  may 
and  do  divide  our  gifts,  but  for  purposes  of  growth,  we  need  only  the 
world-wide  commission. 

This  grace  of  giving  in  order  to  growth  of  the  Church  involves  first, 
the  giving  of  ourselves  to  the  Lord,  for  such  use  as  he  will  be  pleased  to 
make  of  us  through  the  Church,  and  then  out  of  this  will  come  the  giving 


74 

of  our  time,  our  prayers,  our  talents  and  our  money.  This  is  the  form  in 
which  for  convenience  of  handling,  we  put  our  gifts.  Each  member  of  a 
church  may  not  go  into  the  far  regions  and  preach  the  gospel,  nor  may  he  go 
everywhere  that  prayer  is  needed  and  pray,  but  he  can  bottle  up  his  ser- 
mons, prayers,  songs  and  .service  in  good  American  dollars,  that  can  be 
used  for  the  support  of  his  substitute  who  can  go. 

The  field  is  the  world,  and  no  church  can  grow  while  it  spends  all  its 
time  and  talents  and  wealth  upon  a  ten  acre  lot.  Not  until  it  grasps  the 
whole  field  and  seeks  to  cultivate  it,  will  it  grow  as  it  should  and  ought. 
The  church  that  can  at  one  time  gather  all  its  children  under  one  roof 
hasn't  abounded  in  the  grace  of  giving.  Not  until  by  means  of  our  giving 
we  have  begotten  children,  east,  west,  north  and  south,  can  it  be  said  truly 
that  the  church  has  grown. 

It  might  be  laid  down  as  an  axiom  that  the  church  grows  by  giving 
and  not  by  accretion.  There  is  a  kind  of  increase  that  tendeth  to  poverty. 
Endowments  are  dangerous.  No  one  who  gives  or  bequeaths  money  to  a 
church  should,  generally  speaking,  designate  hoiv  it  should  be  used,  for 
often  this  hinders  the  growth  of  the  church  by  reducing  the  gifts  of 
the  members  to  the  church  and  the  gifts  of  the  church  to  Christ's  work. 
In  a  word  anything  that  could  be  used  as  an  excuse  by  a  church  member 
for  not  giving  as  God  has  prospered  him,  hinders  the  growth  of  the 
church. 

How  many  men  there  are  who  owe  their  prosperty  to  their  liberality, 
and  how  such  men  grow,  how  enlarged  they  become  by  means  of  this 
grace,  and  it  is  equally  true  of  the  church.  A  church  will  grow  faster, 
larger  and  better  by  aiding  to  support  the  pastor  of  a  feeble  sister  church, 
than  it  will  by  frescoeing  the  walls  of  its  own  meeting  house.  A  woman 
and  man  who  content  themselves  this  year  with  last  year's  cape  or 
coat  in  order  that  their  fellows  in  far  away  India  or  China,  ma}'  hear  the 
old,  old  story,  will  b}'  this  real  self-denial  grow. 

The  church  that  sees  the  destitution  of  the  poor,  hears  the  cry  of  the 
hungry,  sympathizes  with  the  aged,  and  rises  in  the  might  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  deliver  the  oppressed,  will  grow  in  Christ's  likeness,  in  power, 
and  in  membership,  because  in  this  wa}'  as  perhaps  in  no  other,  it  will 
get  a  loving  hold  on  the  wayward  hearts  of  some  of  our  Father's  prodigal 
sons  and  draw  them  to  the  Saviour. 

The  church  reallj'  grows  by  giving.  The  church  grows  by  weeping 
with  the  mourner,  and  sympathizing  with  the  afflicted.  The  church  at 
Salem  voluntarily  gave  up  the  use  of  its  Sunday  school  rooms  for  several 
months  as  a  storage  place  for  the  property  of  those  who  were  rendered 
houseless  by  a  great  fire.  By  this  single  gift  it  grew  in  the  affection  and 
favor  of  the  people  and  of  God.  The  church  grows  by  what  it  gives, 
rather  than  by  what  it  withholds,  l^npleasant  memories  abide  with  me, 
and  doubtless  with  you,  of  churches,  that  because  of  penuriousness  have 
become  .so  emaciated  that  one  could  scarce  perceive  any  motion  in  them  ; 
verily  withering  up,  consumed  of  their  own  lust  for  gain.  The  cause  of 
this  is  discord,  lack  of  unity.  The  cure  is  Ciiving;  giving  unifies  and 
unity  gives  strength  ;  withhold  giving  and  it  tends  to  segregation,  which 
brings  weakness. 


75 

It  was  the  sacrificial  character  of  Jesus'  giving  that  gave  him  enlarge- 
ment. ''And  IJf/be  lifted  up  from  the  earth  ivill draiv  all  men  unto  mc,"' 
is  assurance  of  the  growth  that  comes  of  such  giving.  And  it  .seems  to 
me  that  something  of  this  sacrificial  character  must  attach  to  our  giving 
in  order  to  render  its  full  effect  upon  us  individually,  and  give  the  greatest 
growth  to  the  church.  But  it  seems  farcical  to  speak  of  sacrifice  in  con- 
nection with  giving,  (iod's  treasury  does  not  get  even  the  superfluities 
of  the  church.  And  so  lingering  in  drowsy  surfeit  about  its  own  table,  hear- 
ing not,  seeing  not,  nor  caring  for  the  world's  need  of  the  Gospel,  the 
church  will  lose  gradually  its  hold  and  swaj'  over  the  hearts  and  lives  of 
men.  Oh  let  us  arise  to  the  achievements  and  possibilities  of  the  growth 
that  will  be  ours,  by  abounding  in  the  grace  of  giving. 

The  account  of  Mary's  alaba.ster  box  of  costly  perfume  is  meaningful. 
While  she  kept  it  in  the  box,   but  one  person  at  a  time  could  enjoy  its 
fragrance;  but  when  she  broke  the  box,  and  poured  the  pungent  perfume 
for  His  anointing  on  her  Lord,  the  house  was  filled  with  the   odor   and 
all  could  enjoy  it  at  the  same  time.     What  an  enlargement  of  the  spike- 
nard this  was,  how  the  giver  grew  by  giving.     At  the  supper  before  the 
crucifixion,  when  John  leaned  on  Jesus'  bosom  Peter  could  not,  but  after 
the  breaking  on  the  cross,  and  the  pouring  out  of  the  remidial  blood,  after 
the   giving   of  his   life — he  was  so  enlarged  that  all  could  lean  on  His 
bosom  at  the  same  time,  and  whosoever  would  could  be  cleansed  from  sin. 
"  Give  as  the  morning  that  flows  out  of  heaven, 
Give  as  the  waves  when  their  channel  is  riven. 
Not  the  waste  drops  of  th}'  cup  overflowing. 
Not  the  faint  sparks  of  thy  heart,  never  glowing, 
Not  a  pale  bud  from  thy  June  roses  blowing. 
Give  as  He  gave  THf:E,  who  gave  thee  to  live." 

How  TO  Enlarge  the  Church  Numerically. 

By   REY.  J.    HUFFNAGLE, 
Pastor  of  the  Upper  Freehold,  Baptist  Church,  Imlaystown,  N.  J. 

Two  methods,  the  Sensational  and  the  Gospel. 

The  Sensational. — Wealth,  grand  edifices,  magnificent  furniture,  choice 
rituals,  grand  music,  secular  entertainments  and  sensational  evangelistic 
work,  can  add  names  to  our  church  register,  but  not  to  the  book  of  eter- 
nal life.  Too  much  reliance  here  on  the  externals  of  religion.  God  judges 
the  heart,  and  gives  no  credit  to  lip  service.  This  method  maj'  create  a 
desire  to  join  a  pleasing  moral  societ}-;  but  not  the  church  of  the  living 
God.     Not  the  Apostolic  Method — Too  much  reliance  on  man. 

The  Gospel  Method. — This  is  the  true  method  as  taught  by  Jesus  Christ 
and  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  early  age  of  the  church.  We  must  mould 
our  future  from  the  experience  of  the  past.  Unspiritvial  churches  may 
study  His  dealings  with  the  Israelites.  God  is  a  jealous  God;  we  must 
worship  Him  alone.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  now  the  permanent  resident  in, 
and  director  of  the  church.  His  the  duty  to  superintend,  and  direct  the 
upbuilding  of  the  Spiritual  Temple.     He  uses  human  instrumentalities, 


76 

therefore,  study  the  means  best  adapted  to  His  co-operation.  His  work 
to  energize  the  word  and  make  it  effectual,  it  must  then  be  the  word  of 
God.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  church  member  to  help  the  work  by  pensonal 
efforts.  Let  each  member  bring  another  to  Christ,  the  church  and  its 
services.  John  1:35-51.  Character  must  act  as  a  potent  fact.  There 
must  be  life  and  activity  in  the  membership.  There  must  be  pra\-ers  and 
testimonies.  The  prayer  meeting  is  the  central  life  and  power  in  a  church. 
Uphold  the  church  and  j-our  pastor.  Be  sure  and  maintain  harmon}-.  A 
very  few  cold  and  evil  minded  members  can  destro\'  a  good  pastor's 
influence,  and  disgrace  a  church  in  the  eyes  of  God  and  the  w^orld. 

The  church  should  be  an  educational  centre  in  the  community  to 
encourage  and  sustain  the  Young  People's  religious  societies.  Let  there 
be  no  jealous}'  between  the  young  and  the  older  membership;  let  there  be 
perfect  co-operation.  Let  "Christ  crucified"  be  the  theme  from  pulpit 
and  pew.  There  must  be  entire  consecration  to  the  one  object,  the  bring- 
ing of  souls  to  Jesus.  Link  self  to  Jesus  and  His  interests,  and  all  else 
will  follow.  Let  there  be  an  entire  surrender  of  talent  and  of  will  to  the 
Hoh'  Ghost.  A  church  working  along  this  line,  as  pastor  and  people, 
will  have  no  trouble  to  enlarge  its  membership,  and  its  additions  will  be 
of  those  who  are  regenerated.  The  watch-word  must  be,  a  regenerated 
church  membership.  "Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  hy  )uy  spirit 
saith  the  Lord."     Zech.  4:  6. 

Ho\v  TO  Build  up  the  Spiritual  Life  ov  the  Church. 

By  Rev.  M.  N.  Smith, 

Pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church,  Marlboro,  N.  J. 


The  church  is  a  spiritual  bod}',  made  up  of  spiritual  material.  Its  end 
is  the  enlargement  of  the  inner  life  of  its  membership  and  of  its  numbers 
from  the  world.  If  the  church  has  prosperity,  it  must  be  in  spiritual 
things,  it  must  be  growing  Godward.  To  attain  this,  we  can  utilize  all 
the  spiritual  means  at  our  disposal.  We  can  preach  spiritual  truth;  we 
can  live  spiritual  lives;  we  can  make  the  social  life  of  the  church  pure 
and  healthy.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  at  our  disposal,  and  with  his  leadership 
we  can  work  in  spiritual  ways,  by  spiritual  agencies,  and  for  spiritual 
results.  We  must  set  our  sails  to  catch  the  heavenly  winds.  If  we 
would  grow  in  religious  impulse,  we  must  be  found  in  the  church  and 
at  the  altar.  We  must  expect  prosperity,  too,  in  the  ways  indicated  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  written  word.  Our  text  book  must  be  our  store- 
house of  information.  Our  spiritual  theories  and  procedure  are  there, 
clearly  outlined. 

The  Bible  is  the  vi'isdom  of  the  Infinite,  applied  to  the  spiritual  needs 
of  this  world.  It  is  ample  and  comprehensive.  Its  doctrines  are  the 
principles  of  spiritual  truth.  Its  ordinances  are  the  essentials  of  that 
truth  in  symbol,  and  its  polity  and  order  are  the  application  of  that  truth 
in  detail.  No  church  can  be  right  or  prosperous  while  ignoring  the  truth 
of  the  written  word. 

Then,  what  significance  has  this  for  a  Baptist  Church  ?     We  claim  New 


77 

Testament  authority  for  everything  in  doctrine  and  practice.  We  pledge 
ourselves  to  abide  in  hul}'  fellowship  with  God,  according  to  the  written 
word.  If  in  everything  we  have  the  mind  of  God,  ought  we  not  to  prosper 
beyond  any  who  deny  Him,  or  pervert  his  word  ?  If  rot,  there  must  be 
something  wrong  in  divine  methods,  which  we  could  not  admit,  or  else, 
with  all  our  boasted  fidelit}',  we  must  be  still  somewhere  out  of  harmony 
with  (lod.  But  witness  our  unparalled  success  with  our  modern  Foreign 
Mission  work;  our  marvellous  growth  at  home  and  our  rapidly  enlarging 
forces  in  so  many  departments  of  the  great  vineyard  of  our  Lord.  What 
we  need  for  genuine  enduring  success,  is  genuine,  enduring  fidelity  to 
our  profession  as  .servants  to  the  Most  High  God.  "  Eulogize  dead 
assemblages  into  demonstrations  that  look  like  life.  But  nothing  but 
God's  word,  sacraments  and  prayer,  used  reverently  for  the  feeding  of 
living  souls  and  for  quickening  of  the  dead,  for  honoring  Christ  and  for 
the  extending  of  His  Kingdom,  and  all  this  blessed  by  an  acknowledged 
divine  comforter,  so  that  he  is  felt  to  build  the  temple  and  bear, the  glory 
— nothing  but  this  will  develop  a  live  church.  Give  us  this  and  the  life 
in  it  will  be  deep,  spiritual,  heavenly,  and  the  possessors  of  it  will  in 
beauty  and  in  glory  live  forever." 

Caring  for  the  Stranger  within  our  Gates. 

Bv  Rev.  H.  Baum, 

Pastor  of  German  Baptist  Church,  Jamesburg,  N.  J. 


How  to  care  for  a  stranger  can  best  be  learned  b}-  practice,  because  of 
the  different  dispositions  and  habits  or  customs  of  the  people.  What  is 
understood  by  a  stranger  *  One  with  whom  we  have  not  yet  become  ac- 
quainted, a  foreigner,  or  from  our  stand  point  as  Christians,  one  who  has 
not  3'et  united  with  our  church.  By  caring  for  we  understand,  showing 
heart  felt  s^-mpathy,  taking  a  living  interest  in  the  temporal  and  spiritual 
welfare  of  others.  Within  our  gates  has  reference  to  our  church,  our 
homes,  or  as  far  as  our  influence  reaches.  Certainly  all  Christians  who 
love  God,  love  their  neighbors,  and  therefore  everNone  has  opportunity 
for  such  work  at  some  time  or  place.  Missionaries  come  in  closer  contact 
with  the  foreigner  and  therefore  the  missionary  should  be  supported.  If 
the  foreigner  is  so  influenced  by  a  missionary,  when  he  comes  to  this 
part  of  the  globe,  it  will  not  be  so  hard  to  win  them  afterward  for  Christ 
and  the  Church.  St.  Paul  sa^'s:  "  I  am  a  Roman  to  the  Romans,  a  Greek 
to  the  Greek,  only  that  I  may  win  them  for  Christ."  If  the  opportunitj- 
is  ofi"ered,  care  for  the  stranger  in  temporal  needs,  for  what  \q  have  done 
to  one  of  these,  you  have  done  for  Christ,  and  that  will  be  the  measure  of 
his  judgment.  Often  an  erring  soul  has  been  made  one  of  us  b\-  kindlj- 
deeds.  We  should  care  for  the  foreigner  because  we  or  our  ancestors  at 
some  time  have  been  foreigners  and  they  appreciated  a  helping  hand  and 
welcome  words.  But  not  only  in  this  sense  were  we  foreigners,  but  also 
as  Paul  writes:  "  In  the  time  past  ye  walked  according  to  the  course  of 
this  world,  but  now  ye  are  no  more  strangers  and  foreigners,  but  fellow 
citizens  with  the  saints  and  of  the  household  of  God."     Some  one  may 


78 

say  "I  have  nothing  to  do  with  foreigners,  they  can  help  themselves." 
This  sounds  something  like  the  words  of  Cain  :  "Am  I  my  brother's 
keeper?"  We  all  are  pilgrims  and  strangers  in  this  world  below  and 
therefore  it  behooves  us  to  care  for  and  help  each  other.  Persuade  such 
as  are  vet  in  darkness  of  sin  from  their  evil  doings,  and  lead  them  to  the 
right  pith.  It  is  my  deep  conviction  this  is  the  best  way  to  care  for  the 
stranger.  Do  the  work  for  love's  sake  in  the  comfort  of  Christian  hope 
for  all  mankind.  Love  sees  no  hopeless  cases,  can  never  despair,  can 
never  cease  to  labor  and  wait.  Let  us  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  nation, 
and  just  as  soon  as  we  can  impress  on  strangers  the  unbounding  love  of 
God,  we  can  hope  for  an  ingathering  of  souls. 

A  Poem. 

By  Rev.  James  H.  Hyatt, 

Pastor  of  the  Bethlehem  Baptist  Church,  Pattenburg,  N.  J. 


lyines  on  the  150th  Anniversary  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Hights- 
town,  New  Jersey,  November  ist,  1895  : 

We  pause  in  life's  journey  and  linger  to-da}'. 

To  think  of  the  saints  in  the  dim  far  away. 

Who,  led  by  the  Spirit,  with  hearts  deeply  stirred. 

For  surel}'  an  Angel  had  touched  every  chord. 

Here  laid  their  foundation  and  on  it  each  stone. 

Believing  that  God,  by  his  presence  would  own. 

The  house  they  should  build,  where  oft  would  be  given, 

A  Sabbath's  sweet  rest,  a  foretaste  of  Heaven. 

What  burdens,  what  blessings,  what  hopes  and  what  fears. 

Have  come  and  have  lingered,  these  long  weary  3-ears. 

Within  those  old  portals  there  came  a  vast  throng. 

To  join  in  the  worship  and  swell  the  glad  song. 

When  the  song  died  awa}',  with  white  heads  bowed  low, 

They  prayed  from  the  heart,  in  the  days  long  ago. 

Right  here  stood  the  preacher — his  tongue  like  a  flame; 

While  there  sat  the  sinner;  his  cheeks  tinged  with  shame. 

Salvation  the  message  he  tremblingly  heard, 

When  turning  from  sin,  he  believed  in  the  Lord. 

For  days  came  the  message,  this  altar  was  pressed. 

Men  thirsted  for  pardon  till  hundreds  were  blest, 

A  scene  which  the  Angels  with  joy  would  behold. 

Now  going,  then  coming,  like  sheep  to  a  fold. 

The  flock  how  it  prospered,  the  sheep  how  they  fed. 

As  through  the  green  pasture  they  followed  their  head, 

The}-  gathered  around  him,  they  heeded  his  word. 

And  greeted  him  oft  in  the  house  of  the  Lord. 

How  changed  is  the  scene  in  this  temple  to-day. 

For  preacher  and  people  have  both  passed  away; 


79 

Lo  !  3onder  they  sleep,  in  their  low,  dusty  bed. 

Suppressed  be  our  sorrow,  and  light  be  our  tread, 

As  we  bend  o'er  each  stone,  its  record  we  trace. 

While  memory  is  busy  and  calls  up  each  face. 

A  father,  a  mother,  our  children,  our  friends, 

A  husband,  a  wife,  why  the  list  never  ends, 

For  sure  as  the  leaves  above  us  shall  fade. 

Beside  these  still-sleepers  we  too  shall  be  laid. 

Though  new  friends  may  come,  and  old  friends  must  sever. 

May  the  church  still  remain,  a  light  here  forever. 

Farewell  ancient  Zion  thy  glory  complete. 

No  more  by  this  altar  thy  people  I'll  greet. 

May  others  still  linger,  to  hear  the  old  word, 

Be  fervent  in  worship,  delight  in  the  Lord, 

Abundant  in  labor  for  treasure  Divine, 

Till  the  house  made  with  hands  shall  crumble  with  time. 

Till  Jesus  shall  come  with  the  trumpet's  loud  sound. 

The  dead  shall  be  raised,  the  lost  shall  be  found. 

In  yonder  bright  heaven,  when  saints  have  all  pas.sed. 

I'll  see  thee,  and  know  thee,  and  love  thee,  at  last. 

The  following  was  sung  in  the  tune  of  Duke  Street : 
Tri-Jubilee  Hymn, 
By  Robert  Lowry,  D.  D.,  Plainfield,  N.J. 


O  Lord,  now  in  thy  courts  we  raise 
Our  songs  of  gratitude  and  praise. 
And  thank  Thee  for  the  gracious  way 
That  brings  us  to  this  sacred  day. 

Our  sires  beheld  Thy  cloud  in  light, 
And  saw  Thy  signal-flame  by  night; 
They  followed  where  Thy  banner  led. 
And  marked  the  path  for  us  to  tread. 

We  bless  Thee,  Lord,  that  hitherto 
Our  hearts  have  found  Thy  promise  true; 
And  all  Thy  saints  exalt  Thy  name. 
That  thou  art  evermore  the  same. 

Here  we  recall  the  precious  grace 
That  made  our  house  Thy  dwelling  place; 
And  here  rejoice  that  we  have  heard 
The  saving  message  of  Thy  word. 

We  stand  where  once  the  fathers  stood, 
And  hold  with  them  the  true  and  good; 
O  may  we  all  Thy  glory  see 
When  dawns  the  final  Jubilee. 


8o 

The  portraits  of  all  the  former  pastors,  except  the  two  first  { whose 
likenesses  have  not  come  down  to  us )  were  then  unveiled  in  front  of 
the  pulpit,  before  the  congregation. 

Letters  were  received  from  the  former  pastors  Rev.  J.  B.  Saxton, 
now  living  in  California,  and  from  Rev.  Isaac  Butterfield,  of  Grand 
Rapids,  Mich.     Soon  after  writing  the  letter  he  passed  away. 

Letters  were  received  also  from  Rev.  E.  P.  Bond,  Miss  E.  C. 
Bond,  Missionary  from  Assam,  Mt.  Pleasant,  Pa.;  Professor  H.  A. 
Pratt  and  wife,  Mass. ;  Profes.sor  H.  E.  Slaught,  of  Chicago  Uni- 
versity; Rev.  J.  A.  Metz,  Somerville;  Rev.  C.  M.  Dietz,  French- 
town;  Rev.  S.  L-  Cox,  Huntington,  L-  L;  Rev.  W.  W.  Wakeman, 
New  Hampton,  N.  H.;  Rev.  W.  C.  Martin,  Noank,  Conn.;  Dr. 
Enoch  Perrine,  Bucknell  University;  Rev.  L.  H.  Copeland,  Skow- 
hegan.  Me.;  Rev.  G.  B.  Young,  Trenton. 

Letters  of  congratulation,  signed  by  the  pastor  and  clerk,  were  read 
from  the  churches  at  Middletown,  Hamilton  Square,  Trenton  First, 
and  Jamesburg. 

Fraternal  letters  were  received  from  the  First  Church  at  Provi- 
dence, R.  L;  First  Church  in  Boston,  Ma.ss. ;  First  Church  in  Phil- 
adelphia, and  the  Lower  Dublin  Church,  Pa.,  whose  pastor  was 
present  in  1745.  Rev.  W.  C.  Ulj'at  of  Princeton,  .sent  a  letter  full 
of  hi.storic  information. 

From  among  the.se  we  here  place  the  letter  of  the  First  Church  of 
Providence,  R.  L,  the  oldest  Baptist  Church  in  America: 

Providence,  R.  I.,  Oct.  2t,,  1895. 
Yo  the  First  Baptist  Chunk,  Hightstoivn,  N.J. 

In  behalf  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  this  city,  whose  organization 
dates  back  to  1639,  (possibly  a  year  or  two  earlier)  I  send  to  you  and  your 
people  our  cordial  and  affectionate  greetings  on  the  occasion  of  your  150th 
Anniversary'. 

We  rejoice  with  you  that  you  are  able  to  look  back  over  a  centurj-  and  a 
half  of  church  life,  with  its  uninterrupted  tokens  of  the  divine  favor,  and 
its  incalculable  influence  for  good  upon  the  community,  the  nation  and 
the  world.  May  the  review  of  your  past  history  inspire  all  hearts  to  a 
profound  gratitude  to  God  and  a  larger  consecration  to  his  service. 

The  beginnings  of  our  denominational  history  in  this  countrj'  were 
small   indeed,   and   from  a  human    point  of  view  gave  little  promise  of 


8i 

growth  and  prosperity.  The  mother  church,  which  antedates  yours  by  a 
little  more  than  a  hundred  years,  was  born  in  persecution  and  in  exile. 
It  was  the  church  in  the  wilderness.  But  it  stood  for  great  truths  and 
immortal  principles,  which  had  had  all  too  little  recognition  since  the 
days  of  Christ  and  his  Apostles,  but  which,  in  the  Providence  of  God, 
were  in  this  land  to  push  their  wa}-  to  a  conspicuous  victory. 

The  doctrine  of  religious  liberty,  whose  apostle  Roger  Williams  was, 
and  for  which  he  was  tried  as  a  criminal,  and  condemned  and  banished,  is 
now^  the  distinguishing  glory  of  this  great  Republic.  Once  to  believe  as 
he  believed,  was  to  suffer  as  he  suffered,  and  in  other  ways.  But  those 
early  banishments,  fines,  imprisonments,  and  cruel  whippings  were  not 
endured  in  vain.  The  long,  weary  and  bitter  seed-sowing  has  yielded  a 
harvest  of  untold  blessings  to  the  nation  and  the  world.  Through  the 
heroic  fidelity  of  the  fathers,  the  children  have  entered  upon  a  glorious 
heritage  of  exalted  privilege  and  unlimited  opportunity. 

To-day  the  mother  church  looks  out  upon  the  prosperous  city  with  its 
homes  of  comfort  and  refinement,  upon  the  State  with  its  busy  and  suc- 
cessful industries  and  its  worldwide  commerce,  upon  the  land  wdth  its 
fabulous  population,  its  inexhaustible  resources,  its  equality  in  physical 
power  and  moral  influence  with  the  mightiest  nations  of  the  Old  World, 
and  as  she  sees  her  daughters  fair  and  beautiful  as  herself;  numerous  be- 
yond her  proudest  expectations  ;  free,  absolutely  free  to  worship  God  ac- 
cording to  the  dictates  of  an  enlightened  conscience  and  to  do  His  will  on 
the  earth  ;  equipped  with  endowed  institutions  of  learning,  with  success- 
ful missionary  organizations,  with  multitudinous  Sunday  schools,  with 
an  intelligent  raini.stry  and  a  consecrated  laity,  with  the  wisdom  of  age 
and  the  zeal  of  an  awakened  and  irrepressible  3outh,  she  exclaims  in 
adoring  gratitude,  "Verily,  verily,  what  hath  God  wrought  !" 

His  promise  has  been  manj- times  fulfilled.  The  little  one  has  become 
not  onlj-  a  thousand,  but  millions,  and  those  who  were  driven  out  into 
the  wilderness,  are  now  going  forth  to  the  conquest  of  the  world. 

yiay  the  blessing  of  the  great  head  of  the  church  abide  with  you  richlj-, 
and  ma}'  you  be  permitted  to  have  a  large  share  in  the  present  conflict, 
and  in  the  joy  of  the  coming  victor^'. 

In  behalf  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Providence,  R.  I. 

Henry  M.  King,  Pastor. 

Friday  Evening,  November  ist. 

The  opening  exercises  consisted  in  singing  : 

"  All  the  Way  My  Savior  Leads  Me." 

and 

"The  Church's  One  Foundation  is  Jesus  Christ  the  Lord;" 

the  reading  of  Psalm  145  and  prayer  by  Rev.  Thomas  Tyack,  D.  D. 
The  program  for  the  evening  was  then  carried  out  as  follows  : 


82 

What  Baptists  Have  Wrought  in  150  Years. 

By  Rev.  M.  P.  Fikes, 

Pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Trenton,  N.  J, 


Mr.  Chairman,  and  venerable  mother,  the  saints  who  are  in  Trenton 
salute  you  !  The  child  of  your  cradle  and  tender  training  rejoices  with 
you  upon  this  auspicious  occasion.  We  wish  you  many  happy  returns  of 
such  a  day  as  this.  But,  I  confess  I  am  somewhat  puzzled  at  the  sight  of 
such  well-preserved  beauty;  you  certainly  repre.sent  the  youngest  century- 
and-a-half  agedne.ss  I  have  ever  seen.  I  deem  it  a  great  honor  to  stand 
upon  this  historic  platform  surrounded,  as  we  are,  b\'  the  revered  mem- 
ories of  early  New  Jersey  Baptists. 

I  am  glad  to  participate  with  you  at  this  hour,  in  the  light  of  historj- 
and  experience,  to  point  out  the  paths  of  our  fathers,  and  the  continued 
indulgence  of  our  fathers'  God  towards  their  children,  in  faith  and  hope, 
in  toil  and  sacrifice.  We  gather  to-night  to  embalm  these  sacred  memories 
and  to  tell  this  generation  facts  and  triumphs,  which  should  never  be  for- 
gotten. Neither  pen  nor  tongue  can  offer  an  exaggerated  eulogj'  of  the 
battles  and  victories.  The  time  and  place  forbid  more  than  the  presenta- 
tion of  facts,  and  yet  these  are  eloquent  in  themselves,  eloquent  with  the 
majestic  silence  of  noble  lives  and  heroic  principles. 

By  reference  to  the  few  records  at  my  disposal,  I  have  gathered  some 
data  which  has  been  to  me  a  source  of  pride  and  inspiration.  We  find 
that  prior  to  our  organization,  there  were  less  than  135  churches  in  the 
whole  United  States,  and  in-  1768  only  137.  And  when  Rev.  J.  Carman 
with  eleven  or  twelve  others  formed  the  Hightstown  Church  in  November, 
1745,  there  were  but  five  other  churches  in  the  State.  Just  think  of  it  !  In 
1745  there  was  not  a  Baptist  church  in  this  great  land  save  in  twelve  states. 
Even  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire  of  intelligent,  religious  New  England 
had  no  sign  of  a  Baptist  meeting  house.  And  it  was  twenty  years  after 
that  a  church  was  organized  in  Massachusetts  north  of  Boston.  Why, 
Hightstown  had  been  in  operation  forty-four  years  before  the  First  Presi- 
dent was  elected,  or  ever  Washington  seated  himself  in  the  Presidental 
chair.  It  was  twenty  years  prior  to  the  establishment  of  our  first  edu- 
cational institution  in  Rhode  Island. 

Your  work  had  been  going  steadily  for  nearly  one  hundred  years  before 
the  Home  Mission  Society  was  realized.  To-day,  behold  her  magnificent 
record  !  From  sea  to  sea,  from  the  icy  waters  of  the  north  to  the  warm 
currents  of  the  south,  upon  the  mountains  and  in  the  valleys  of  this  wide 
stretching  country,  thousands  upon  thousands  of  consecrated  men  have 
gone  telling  the  old  story  of  the  love  of  God.  To-day,  1,1  ri  men  backed 
by  millions  of  dollars  are  erecting  churches,  and  schools,  responding  to 
the  pitiful  cries  of  the  needy,  and  spreading  the  good  news  to  troubled 
hearts. 

No  Foreign  Mission  Society  was  known  for  a  hundred  years.  Adoniram 
Judson  and  Judson's  father  were  as  yet  unborn.  But  the  Light  was  not 
to  be  hid.     You  cannot  hide  the  light.     Suppose  that  to-morrow  at  mid- 


83 

day  30U  could  gather  all  the  mountains  of  the  universe  about  this  little 
town.  Then  go  to  the  four  corners  of  the  earth,  and  bring  hither  every 
black  cloud  that  floats  in  the  aerial  sea,  over-arching  the  mountains,  until 
at  last  you  had  a  complete  prison  for  the  sovereign  of  day,  could  you  hide 
that  splendid  light?  No!  The  sun  would  turn  her  blazing  eye  of 
splendid  fire  full  upon  the  scene,  and,  instantl}-,  every  mountain  would 
be  transformed  into  a  monument  of  glor\',  and  the  dense,  dark  canopy 
would  be  charged  with  a  brillianc}' that  would  rival  Revelation's  sea  of 
glass  !  So  the  Spirit  pushed  bej^ond  the  limits  of  our  continent  until  to- 
day, the  jungles  of  India,  the  wastes  of  Africa,  the  superstition  of  China, 
the  intelligence  of  Japan,  the  rocky  acres  of  the  Islands  of  the  Sea,  have 
been  lightened  by  the  beauteous  beams  of  the  Son  of  Righteousness;  until 
to-day  474  devoted  men,  and  women  too,  are  preaching,  teaching,  living  the 
life  of  the  Son  of  God  under  the  fostering  care  of  the  Missionary  Union. 

One  hundred  and  fift}-  years  ago,  there  was  no  Publication  Society. 
To-day  the  number  of  men  and  the  amount  of  money  at  the  command  of 
this  gigantic  organization  is  gratif3-ing  indeed.  They  are  sending  the 
message  in  many  languages,  by  many  tongues,  to  and  through  manj- 
colors.  It  has  been  taking  the  leaves  of  Life  and  scattering  them  as 
widely  as  our  boundary  lines,  and  as  thickly  as  has  been  consistent  with 
resources. 

1  am  proud  to  be  a  citizen  of  New  Jerse}-.  Others  to  the  contrary,  not- 
withstanding, who  could  call  it  but  a  heap  of  sand;  a  clump  of  pine  trees; 
the  happy  hunting  ground  of  the  blood-thirst}'  mosquito;  the  peaceful 
reservation  of  the  duke  of  Gloucester.  Whatever  eLse  may  be  said,  when 
the  empire  state  mercilesslj-  drove  them  out,  and  the  rocky  heart  of  New 
England  turned  against  them,  and  the  hot  blood  of  Virginia  rose  in 
opposition  to  them.  New  Jersey  opened  wide  her  hospitable  arms  and 
received  the  fleeing  Bapti.sts  as  the}-  came,  and  further,  she  has  never 
placed  a  law  upon  her  books  against  this  child  of  principle.  Noble  state! 
Maj-  your  great  heart  be  the  happier  for  our  coming,  and  may  the  breezes 
of  the  ocean  fan  your  honest  brow  until  the  end!  Your  church  started 
with  seventeen  members,  but  now  you  and  your  illustrious  daughters  have 
a  constituency  of  about  2,000  strong.  You  organized  when  five  churches 
stood  within  the  borders  of  our  state;  to-day,  257  spires  point  towards  the 
heavens,  a  constant  reminder  of  the  God  whose  we  are  and  whom  we 
serve.  In  the  whole  country  in  1745  there  were  probably  not  more  than 
20,000  members,  to-day,  we  are  crowding  the  4,000,000  mark,  and  leaving 
out  all  but  strictly  members,  have  the  largest  following  of  any  evangelical 
denomination  in  the  United  States. 

I  was  reading  of  two  statesmen,  the  one  three  score  ^-ears  and  ten,  the 
other  just  entering  the  gates  of  mature  manhood  walking  arm  in  arm, 
along  a  mountain  side  one  afternoon  towards  the  close  of  day.  As  if 
impelled  by  a  sudden  inspiration,  the  elder  statesman  stepped  upon  a  high 
rock,  and  as  he  uncovered  his  head,  the  wind  caught  the  long  silvery 
locks  of  his  snowy  hair  and  tossed  them  in  lovely  confusion  about  his 
shoulders.  Lifting  high  his  hat  and  turning  full  towards  the  western 
sky,  he  shouted.  "  Oh,  glorious  past,  I  salute  thee! ' '  The  younger  states- 
man caught  the  inspiration  and  sprang  upon  a  still  higher  rock.     As  he 


84 

uncovered  his  head,  his  coal-black  hair  flying  in  the  breeze,  he  turned  his 
face  full  toward  the  eastern  sky,  and  waving  his  hat  above  his  head 
shouted,  "Oh,  glorious  future,  I  salute  thee!"  So  dear  friends,  as  we 
stand  to-night  upon  the  mountain  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  of 
successful  Christian  work  let  us  turn  our  eyes  along  the  path  we  have 
come,  and  shout,  "  Oh  glorious  past,  we  salute  thee!  "  But  remembering 
XhsX  life  is  still  on,  turn  our  determined  faces  full  towards  the  east,  and 
shout,  "  Oh,  glorious  future  we  salute  thee!  " 

Characterlstics  of  Baptist  Churches  of  New  Jersey. 

By  Rev.  T.  S.  Griffiths, 

Of  Penn's  Neck,  Princeton  Junction,  N.  J. 


Baptists  are  much  the  same  in  all  ages.  They  differ  in  only  unimportant 
variations  of  name  and  externals,  occuring  by  reason  of  place  and  period. 
Baptists!  What  are  they  ?  Not  a  .sect.  Sects  are  the  outgrowth  of  the 
limitation  of  ideas,  started  by  the  word  of  God.  Born  of  conscience  and 
of  the  right  to  speak  one's  convictions,  which  the  Psalmist  early  asserted 
(Ps.  1 16:  lo)  and  Paul  reaffirmed  (2  Cor.  4:  13).  "  We  believe  and  therefore 
speak."  The  dictionaries  belie  the  truth,  defining  sectaries  as  bigots. 
Sects  are  not  of  Satan.  Nor  the  spawn  of  heedless  thought.  Human 
they  are,  and  peculiar  to  Christianit}-.  Buddha,  Confucius  and  Moham- 
med hold  their  followers  by  undivided  hosts  of  millions.  John  W'esley 
lived  and  died  an  Episcopalian.  Had  Episcopacy  appreciated  and  wel- 
comed him;  there  had  been  no  Methodism.  But  Episcopacy  would  have 
been  to-day,  the  vast  and  pre-eminent  force  of  Christianity.  Weslej- 
founded  a  sect.     And  who  dare  say,   he  did  an  evil  thing  } 

Sects  are  shoots  from  living  roots.  Baptists  are  not  a  sect.  They  are 
original.  They  are  among  the  names  of  Christendom,  what  Adam  is, 
among  the  names  of  men — the  first  of  all.  Divinely  born.  The  first 
born  of  the  ministry  of  the  Nazarene.  Since  then  till  now,  they  have 
retained  their  New  Testament  characteristic,  "These  that  have  turned 
the  world  upside  down."  Acts  17:6.  "A  people  ever}- where  spoken 
against."  Acts  28  :  22.  They  have  been  martyred  in  every  age  since 
Stephen  died.  They  have  come  to  earth  to  stay,  as  surely  as  Jesus 
founded  a  kingdom  to  stay.  It  is  a  trueism:  destroy  every  Baptist 
Church:  let  all  of  its  ministers  repudiate  its  faith;  and  where  ever  there 
is  an  open  Bible  and  men  are  free  to  obey  their  convictions  of  its  teach- 
ing, within  months  there  will  be  the  same  Baptists  as  those  of  to-da3^ 

New  Jersey  and  Rhode  Island,  each  witness  that  there  need  not  to  have 
been  Baptists,  for  Baptists  to  be.  In  this  land  we  number  a  great  multi- 
tude. Our  associated  numbers,  however,  by  no  means  indicate  our 
strength. 

For  as  the  wind  catches  up  the  prairie  fire  and  carries  it  far  away  and 
abroad;  so  the  breath  of  the  Holy  Spirit  has  caught  up  our  doctrines  and 
faith,  and  impregnated  all  other  Christian  names  with  them.  They  are 
becoming  more  and  more  of  us,    in   the  truths   which   separated   them 


85 

from  us;  and  the   union  for  which  Jesus  prayed, — "that  they  all  may  be 
one  in  us,"  is  by  so  much  the  nearer. 

Whence  came  to  this  new  world  the  seedlings  of  this  Baptist  host? 
Not  from  our  brethren  of  the  continent,  in  the  Novations,  Paulicians, 
Albigences  and  their  successors  of  later  days.  Of  these,  were  the 
martyrs  of  the  past.  The  world  can  never  pay  the  debt  it  owes  to  them. 
They  were  Baptists,  as  Roger  Williams  was,  as  hosts  of  others  have  been, 
of  spontaneous  growth,  having  only  the  ancestry  of  the  word  of  God  and 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  names  of  the  men  who  planted  our  Baptist  faith 
on  this  continent  and  nursed  it  to  come  to  be  what  it  is,  indicate  its 
source.  Jones,  INIorgan,  Evans,  Williams,  Edwards,  Griffiths,  Thomas 
and  others  of  the  like  Penn  was  the  son  of  a  Welshman.  Williams,  as 
the  name  indicates,  was  of  the  same  origin.  Williams  is  credited  with 
having  founded  the  first  government  in  modern  times,  of  civil  and 
religious  freedom.  He  is  worthy  of  the  loft}'  place  among  the  legislators 
of  the  world  which  history  assigns  to  him. 

In  his  home  land,  Wa'les— the  equality  of  Prince  and  Peasant  in  the 
civil  court  and  the  right  to  worship  as  conscience  dictated,  had  been 
maintained  for  a  long  indefinite  period. 

It  is  significant  that  in  Wales,  where  Baptists  have  been  far  back  in 
the  past  a  potent  force;  and  in  this  land  of  the  free,  also,  whither 
Baptists  came  in  its  early  period,  that  the  fundamental  principles  of 
the  equality  of  civil  rights  and  of  freedom  to  believe  and  to  teach  as  con- 
science dictates,  is  the  constitutional  right  of  all. 

Baptist  Churches  organized  in  W^ales,  came  hither  in  the  earliest  daj's, 
and  unchanged,  are  the  same  as  all  other  Baptist  Churches.  They  did  not 
come  here  to  exercise  a  right  denied  to  them  at  home.  But  having  it 
there,  brought  it  with  them. 

Baptist  churches  of  New  Jerse}-  retain  the  characteristics  which  have 
heretofore  discriminated  them  among  the  families  of  God  in  the  world. 

ist.  J//^//^rt'///)' is  one  of  these.  Our  congregational  government,  looked 
upon  from  without,  is  a  rope  of  sand.  Practically,  it  is  a  "  three  fold  cord 
not  easih-  broken."  There  is  no  ecclesiastical  organization  more  compact 
and  so  tlaoroughl\-  a  unit.  Divisions  and  heresies  are  essentialh'  local. 
Even  though  they  cause  a  noise  as  of  the  breakers  on  the  sea  shore; 
away  from  its  vicinity,  it  is  lost  in  its  self 

This  mutuality  is  instanced  in  the  shoulder  to  shoulder  attitude  of  our 
churches,  exacting  fellowship  only  of  each  other,  holding  the  distinctive 
faith  of  Baptists  It  appears  also,  in  the  recognition  of  churches  as  of 
us,  only  after  a  rigid  scrutiny  of  their  Baptistic  character,  that  the_v  are: 
unquestionably  evangelical;  their  internal  econotu}-,  congregational;  and 
the  constituency  heartily  in  fellowship  with  Baptist  faith  and  practice. 

With  a  like  sense  of  responsibility  for  the  whole  cause,  entrance  into 
the  ministry  is  hedged  against  the  teacher  of  doctrines  subversive  of  the 
faith  of  the  churches.  And  no  less  surely,  one  who  holds  and  teaches 
another  doctrine  than  ours  is  separated  from  us.  Especially  in  earlier 
3'ears,  a  place  in  the  ministr}-,  was  a  sufficient  endorsement  and  commenda- 
tion, not  alone  of  character,  but  also  of  Baptistic  integrity.  Out  of  this 
commonalit}-  of  interest,  grew  in  the  older  churches  a  very  practical  care 


86 

for  the  younger  and  weaker.  It  inspired  also,  the  choice  of  the  general 
good,  rather  than  of  personal  right  and  preference.  Thus  the  Philadelphia 
Association,  the  first  Baptist  Association  formed  in  this  country,  was 
constituted  with  five  churches.  One  in  Delaware,  one  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  three  in  New  Jersey. 

The  majority  denied  themselves  their  convenience  and  right,  locating 
the  Association  in  an  adjoining  State  and  adopting  an  unrepresentative 
name;  persuaded  that  the  interests  of  the  denomination  would  be  thereby 
advanced. 

2nd.  This  sense  of  responsibility  for  the  welfare  of  the  cause  of 
Christ  be3'ond  themselves  broadened,  into  a  very  real  missionary  spirit. 
Pastors  made  long  journeys  south  and  west,  and  the  churches  consented 
to  their  absence,  even  though  it  involved  the  loss  of  pastoral  care  for 
months.  Nor  was  the  home  field  neglected.  The  Philadelphia  Associa- 
tion extended  from  Southern  Connecticut  to  Georgia,  and  west  to  the 
border  settlements.  And  yet  the  New  Jersey  churches  maintained  a 
majority  of  the  body  for  fort}^  3-ears.  Increasing  more  rapidh'  in  their 
narrow  limits  than  in  all  the  rest  of  the  vast  territory. 

The  New  York  Association  furnishes  a  like  instance  of  the  earnestness 
and  activity  of  these  men  and  churches  in  the  home  field.  Organized  in 
1791;  with  a  majority  of  its  churches  in  New  Jersey,  which  was  held  for 
forty-five  years,  and  would  have  been  retained  longer,  but  for  dismis- 
sions to  the  Central  Association  of  this  State.  In  the  narrow  strip, 
bounded  by  Paterson,  Morristown,  Plain  field,  New  Brunswick,  Holmdel 
and  the  Raritan  Bay,  our  churches  increased  more  in  number,  than  in 
New  York  City,  Long  and  Staten  Islands,  and  south  eastern  New  York. 
Thepastorsandchurches  wrought  diligently  and  gathered  large  harvests. 

Their  influence  in  the  New  York  Association,  is  indicated  in  that,  when 
in  1841,  our  churches  withdrew  and  formed  the  east  New  Jersey  Associa- 
tion, the  New  York  Association  lingered  a  few  years  and  died. 

Killingworth,  Abel  Morgan,  Eaton,  Allison,  Peter  Wilson,  made  the 
mould  in  which  was  cast  the  influences  and  activities,  that  for  more  than 
an  hundred  years  have  characterized  New  Jersey  Baptists.  Of  these  men, 
one  was  head  and  shoulders  above  those  of  his  generation, — Peter  Wilson, 
twenty-eight  years  pastor  of  this  church. 

Jacobstown,  Hamilton  Square,  First  Trenton,  Manasquan,  and  Prince- 
ton, date  their  first  life  from  him.  Beside  these  memorials  of  this 
wonderful  man,  he  sowed  the  seed  of  life,  in  all  the  region  round  about. 
None  in  this  State  have  left  more,  and  more  witness  of  usefulness  and  of 
the  Divine  blessing  upon  his  labors  than  he.  Nevertheless,  he  was  only 
the  fore  most  of  his  contempories;  men  who  also,  like  unto  the  Master, 
"  went  about  doing  good." 

3rd.  A  conipreiiensioti  0/  the  educational  needs  o{t\\&\rt\n\&saind.  conn- 
try  characterizes  New  Jersej^  Baptists.  So  early  as  1722,  a  training  school 
was  begun  by  the  Philadelphia  Association  in  which  they  had  a  dominant 
influence.  Later,  the  records  make  frequent  mention  of  educatoinal 
movements. 

The  first  Baptist  school  in  America,  of  permanent  worth,  was  founded 
at  Hopewell.     The  first  bequest  by  a  Baptist,   for  education   was  by  a 


87 

Jersey  woman.  Brown  University  was  born  in  New  Jersey.  Its  first 
President,  who  laid  its  foundations  in  Rhode  Island,  was  a  Jersey  man. 
The  New  Jersey  Association  constituted  in  1811,  the  first  Baptist  organiz- 
ation of  the  kind  in  the  state,  at  its  first  meeting,  resolved  itself  into  a 
convention  to  take  steps  to  establish  a  school.  Before  this,  while  in  the 
Philadelphia  As.sociation,  and  later,  after  separation  from  that  body,  at 
various  times  and  in  different  places,  schools  were  begun.  All  these  were 
ephemeral,  because  hampered  with  plans  of  co-operation  with  Pennsj'lva- 
nia  or  New  York. 

Hamilton,  novs'  Colgate,  successfully  appealed  to  New  Jersey  in  1839, 
to  save  it  from  threatened  bankruptcy.  Lewisburg,  now  Bucknell,  was 
made  a  pos.sibility  in  1846,  by  New  Jersey. 

For  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  the  Baptists  of  New  Jersey  have 
busied  themselves  making  up  the  deficiencies  of  their  brethren  of 
neighboring  states,  denying  themselves  schools  of  their  own.  As  respects 
education,  they  have  been  the  "  keepers  of  vineyards;  but  their  own 
vineyard  thej-  have  not  kept."  Having  now,  set  up  our  big  sisters  in 
housekeeping,  the  way  is  open  to  do  something  for  ourselves. 

That  Baptists  are  essentially  an  educated  and  educating  people,  is 
signified  b}-  the  constitution  of  our  churches.  Whoso,  the  aged,  the  child, 
the  cultured,  the  ignorant;  of  ever\-  one  seeking  membership  in  our 
churches,  whether  in  the  city  or  in  the  woods,  it  is  asked:  What  do  3-ou 
know  ?  Give  us  a  reason  for  your  hope.  Thus  the  first  condition  of 
membership  is  educational,  in  that  it  demands  an  experience  founded 
v;pon  knowledge.  The  applicant  must  have  been  thinking  and  learning; 
rejecting  some  things,  approving  some  things,  and  attained  to  new 
ideas  of  himself  and  of  things  outside  of  himself.  He  has  been  a  learner 
in  a  school,  where,  as  the  result  of  its  teaching,  a  new  order  of  things  has 
come  to  pass  in  his  soul, ^increase,  growth  along  the  line  of  self  culture. 

This  higher  education,  leavens  our  ideas  of  Christian  work.  Evolving 
our  theorj',  that  education  is  not  elementary  to  religion,  but  that  religion 
is  elementary  to  education.  Our  missions  in  heathen  lands  have  this 
distinction  from  that  of  other  denominations  and  it  accounts  for  their 
wonderful  growth.  As  an  outgrowth  of  this  law  of  our  denominational 
life.  New  Jersey  Baptists  have  a  high  appreciation  of  an  intelligent 
ministry.  From  the  beginning  until  now.  Baptist  Pastors  in  the  state 
rank    far  above   the  average  of  the  ministr}'  at  large. 

Our  3'oung  people  also,  have  to  a  large  extent  obtained  from  without, 
the  education  unprovided  by  ourselves  for  them  at  home. 

4th.  Allied  to  this  appreciation  of  education  b\-  our  churches  is  an 
intelligent  Bible  knoivledge.  Not,  as  some  judge,  merely  conserva- 
tism. But  a  consciousness  of  the  supreme  authority'  of  the  Divine 
word.  Other  Christian  people  than  ourselves,  read  the  Scriptures:  own 
its  authority:  build  confidently  on  its  one  foundation,  walking  and  living 
by  faith  on  the  Son  of  God.  Yet,  when  Baptists  and  other  evangelical 
Christians  meet  on  common  ground  for  common  work,  there  is  sensibly, 
a  wide  gap  between  them  and  us.     While  they  are  as  evangelical  and  as 


conscientious  in  their  convictions  of  truth  as  we  are,  there  is  b}-  us  an 
emphatic  recognition  of  the  absoluteness  of  the  Bible  as  the  exclusive 
authority-  for  duty  and  for  doctrine;  in  generalities  and  in  minutia,  to 
which  they  do  not  respond.  We  ignore  creeds  as  authority  for  belief  and 
as  a  law  for  the  conscience;  insisting  upon  "  thus  saith  the  Lord,"  for 
faith  and  practice,  which  is  not  merely  a  dividing  line,  but  a  positive 
difference  from  them.  This  is  so  real  that  we  are  looked  upon  as  a 
seperate  people,  adverse  to  other  protestant  Christendom, — the  minority 
saying  to  the  majorit}-,  we  are  right,  3'ou  are  wrong. 

The  reference  already  made  to  the  condition  of  membership  in  a  Baptist 
Church,  "I  know  what  I  know.  I  know  it  for  myself.  And  it  is  true  what 
ever  an}'  one  may  think,"  develops  positive  and  individual  character  and 
constrains  a  continued  and  self  satisfactor}'  inquiry  of  the  Divine  word  for 
the  things  which  lie  be\ond  the  first  experience  of  the  grace  of  God. 
Thus  human  opinions  whether  of  great  or  of  small  names;  creeds, 
traditions,  legends,  commentaries,  councils,  assemblies,  conferences,  are 
subjected  to  the  judgment  of  the  individual,  as  if  he  were  Lord. 

Hence  the  universal  Baptist  characteristic, — Bible  searching.  And  the 
assumption  of  the  right  and  of  the  ability  to  decide  for  one's  self;  what  is 
truth,  which  vexes  the  sectary  and  shocks  the  wisdom  of  the  wise.  As 
in  the  beginning,  so  now.  The  Baptist  understands  that  he  must  for 
himself  quarry  his  doctrines  of  faith  and  his  convictions  of  duty  from  the 
word  of  God.  Therefore,  the  wonderful  fact  of  the  history  of  our  churches; 
corresponding  to  the  Gospel  itself  the  same  yesterday,  to-da^-  and 
unchangeable.  The  change  which  has  come  over  the  other  denominations 
in  the  last  one  hundred  years  is  marvelous.  They  have  come  to  us. 
Adopting  the  principles  distinctive  of  Baptists  and  which  have  separated 
us  from  all  other  Christian  denominations,  since  Penteco.st.  The  Bible, 
the  arbiter  of  all  religious  theories:  experimental  piety  a  condition  to 
church  membership:  civil  and  religious  liberty,  the  absolute  right  of 
every  one:  and  last  and  only  within  four  or  five  years,  the  severance  of  all 
governmental  patronage  from  denominational  interests,  whether  schools, 
charities  or  missions.  This,  however,  is  true  of  them,  only  in  this 
country. 

In  all  the  rest  of  the  world,  Baptists  alone,  teach  and  uphold  these 
great  truths, — an  open  Bible;  a  converted  membership;  civil  and  religious 
liberty  the  absolute  right  of  each  and  of  all.  The  homely  proverb,  "True 
Jersey  Blue,"  which  in  "  the  Revolution  "  emphasized  the  integrity  of 
the  Jersey  soldier,  is  no  less  expressive  of  the  integrity  of  New  Jerse}' 
Baptists  in  maintaining  their  convictions  of  truth  and  of  dut}-. 

This  faith  of  ours,  means  manhood  of  the  highest  type.  The  ke}^  which 
unlocks  the  secret  of  our  strength  and  power  is,  an  intelligent  Bible 
knowledge.  This,  endows  the  soul  with  consciousness  of  its  vast  capacit)'- 
for  growth  and  service.  This,  is  a  bond  of  indissoluble  unit}'  to  each 
other  and  to  him  "  whose  image  and  superscription  "  we  bear,  signified 
in  his  own  beautiful  figure  of  the  vine  and  its  branches.  Such  are 
characteristics  of  New  Jersey  Baptists  and  equally  of  all  Baptists  worth}-- 
of  the  name. 


89 

The  Church  of  To-Day   Moulding  the  Future. 

By  Rev.  J.  B.  L'Hommedieu,  of  Newark,  X.  J. 


/.  The  Church  of  Christ  has  a  Mould.  It  was  cast  in  the  counsel, 
wisdom  and  purpose  of  (Tod.  It  is  not  therefore  something  flexible  or 
elastic.  Its  shape  is  unalterable.  "  The  Scripture  cannot  be  broken." 
"  Teaching  them  to  observe  all  things."  '  Whatsoever  he  saitli  unto  you 
doit."  "If  ye  love  me  keep  my  commandments."  We  insist  on  con- 
formity- to  type.  Mr.  Spurgeon  said  :  "An  ounce  of  what  God  says  is 
worth  "a  ton  of  what  men  think."  In  every  parliament  of  religion, 
whether  social  or  international,  we  ask  "  Whose  is  this  image  and  super 
scription."  To  Confucionism,  Buddhism,  Shintoism,  Materialism,  Ration- 
alism, we  say  that  "your  model  is  not  as  our  model" — "even  our  enemies 
themselves  being  judges."  The  superscriptions  are  not  alike.  "Never 
man  spoke  like  this  man."  "Render  therefore  unto  Caesar  the  things 
which  are  Caesar's  and  unto  God  the  things  which  be  God's." 

2.  The  Church  of  to-day  should  mould  the  future  evangelically.  I  mean 
by  this  the  Gospel  on  foot.  I  mean  doctrine,  but  doctrine  animated,  en- 
thused. If  church  members  were  to  ask  "  What  is  our  mission  ?  What 
are  we  here  for  ?"  The  reply  comes  in  the  words  of  the  Master:  "As 
thou  didst  send  me  into  the  world,  even  so  sent  I  them  into  the  world." 

He  came  "to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost."  "I  came  that  they 
may  have  life  and  may  have  it  abundantly."  "  I  lay  down  my  life  for 
the  sheep."  But  when  he  had  manifested  his  power  to  lay  down  that  life 
and  to  take  it  up  again,  he  declared  that  the  benefit  of  Pentecost  to  them 
should  be  power  to  herald  the  Gospel.  '"Ye  shall  be  my  witnesses."  "And 
he  that  heareth.  let  him  say,  come."  When  Jesus  has  found  you  tell 
others  the  story.  The  first,  the  greatest,  and  the  continued  eflfort  of  the 
church,  should  be  an  effort  to  save  the  lost. 

3.  The  Church  of  to-day  should  mould  the  future  conservatively.  Novel- 
ties are  attractive.  Broom,  fan  and  flag  drills  are  more  fascinating  than 
prayer  or  covenant  meetings.  There  are  among  many  but  few  longings 
for  the  "  old  paths."  Many  communities  are  moved  churchward  only  in 
proportion  as  the  truth  has  an  Athenian  coating  of  "  some  new  thing." 
Topics  are  arranged  to  catch  the  eye  rather  than  the  Holy  Spirit  relied  on 
to  prick  the  heart.  "A  Publican  Converted,"  would  be  considered  a  tame 
announcement  for  a  sermon  on  Zaccheus.  But  the  drawing  way  would 
be,  come  hear  an  eloquent  discourse  "  On  a  Sinner  up  a  Tree."  Such 
dainties  are  destructive  to  spiritual  digestion.  The  appetite  becomes 
capricious.  If  God  is  immutable  then  some  things  at  least  are  unchange- 
able. If  there  was  a  hell  2,000  years  ago  then  there  is  a  hell  now.  We 
cannot  expunge  the  word.  If  Paul  stated  the  truth  when  he  wrote  to  the 
Romans  :  "  All  have  sinned."  And  "  None  righteous,  no  not  one."  Then 
there  has  occurred  nothing  since  to  change  man's  standing  out  of  Christ. 
If  Nicodemus  could  not  see  nor  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  God  without 
the  new  birth  neither  can  any  man  now.  If  Christ  was  the  only  name 
when  Peter  and  John  stood  before  the  Council  then  there  is  "none  other 


90 

name"  in  the  19th  century.  If  man  was  totally  depraved  then,  naturally 
he  is  no  better  to-day.  Reformation  is  not  a  substitute  for  regeneration, 
or  education   for  a  living  faith. 

4.  The  Chnnii  of  to-day  should  mould  the  future  socially.  The  Church 
cannot  be  oblivious  to  the  general  interests  of  the  people.  As  Christ 
went  among  men  and  S3'mpathized  with  them,  so  must  Christianity  reach 
down  to  help  and  elevate  the  people.  But  how  ?  We  reiterate,  aim  first 
to  save  them.  We  cannot  mould  society  permanently  on  the  outside  when 
it  is  wrong  on  the  inside.  An  apple  decaying  at  the  core  demands  core 
treatment.  The  Bible  begins  at  the  right  place— with  the  heart.  Before 
there  will  be  right  conduct  there  must  be  right  character.  Men  cannot 
recognize  a  brotherhood  before  they  experience   a  fatherhood 

5.  The  Church  of  to-day  should  mould  the  future  fi>iancially.  She  must 
create  and  corroborate  the  impression  that  possession  means  obligation, 
that  wealth  is  a  sacred  trust,  that  God's  claim  reaches  the  purse,  the 
bank  and  the  bonds.  The  Church  should  ask  ''  Hozu  much  owest  thou 
unto  my  Lordf  but  with  no  authority  to  discount  20  or  50  per  cent. 
Money  is  agency.  Dollars  help  or  hinder.  God  has  something  to  do 
with  financial  crises.  He  started  t-he  Jews  right  on  this  question,  and  on 
all  other  questions.  Christ  did  not  abrogate  it.  Tithitig,  proportionate 
giving  was  the  plan.  Dr.  John  Humpstone  says:  "  The  question  of 
finance  is  a  question  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  given  pentecostal  ble.ssings  and 
Pentecostal  consecration  of  property  will  follow." 

God  does  not  accept  of  us  in  sections.  Man  and  money  go  together. 
"For  ivhere  thy  treasure  is  there  icill  thy  heart  be  also.'"  "The  silver  is 
mine  and  the  gold  is  mine  saith  the  Lord."  — Hag.  2:8.  "  But  thou  shalt 
remember  the  Lord  thy  God,  for  it  is  he  that  giveth  the  power  to  get 
wealth."  A  desire  for  wealth  is  laudable  if  the  divine  obligation  is  not 
ignored.  Hard  times!  Yes,  but  why?  What  caused  hard  times  in  the 
days  of  Malachi  ?  He  obtained  information  that  God  was  looking  after 
his  own  accounts.  They  had  withheld  their  tithes  and  offerings.  They 
ma}'  have  bought  an  occasional  ticket  for  an  entertainment,  made  a  cake 
for  a  paid  supper,  or  given  a  pound  of  butter  or  a  qviart  of  milk  But  God 
said  "  77/n' owed  him,"  and  when  they  paid,  they  prospered.  Back  to 
first  principles.  Let  the  Church  of  to-day  settle  her  accounts  according 
to  the  Lord's  ledger. 

6.  'The  Church  of  to-day  should  tnould  the  future  by  an  adjtistment  of 
.'iocial  life  zcithi?i  her  own  compass.  Society  and  its  claims  in  the  church 
is  receiving  considerable  attention.  It  is  an  important  factor  in  church 
life.  The  young  demand  it  and  the  mature  need  it.  Let  there  be  social 
meals  and  free  social  entertainments.  Let  the  young  and  the  old.  the 
rich  and  the  poor  meet  together  before  they  die. 

The  cemetery  has  brought  some  people  nearer  to  each  other  than  ever 
they  have  been  in  the  church. 

A  dining  hall  and  kitchen  may  not  produce  apostasy  if  properU'  applied. 

Let  the  exuberance  of  youth  expend  its  effervescence  in  a  good  rather 
than  in  a  questionable  place. 

Better  have  the  noise  and  keep  the  boj's. 

Better  laugh  with  the  children  than  weep  at  their  absence. 


91 

The  social  life  in  the  church  must  be  controlled  and  cultivated. 
Between  the  theatre  and  the  convent  there  is  a  lawful  mean.  One 
gratifies,  the  other  denies.  The  Church  must  qualify  and  modify.  She 
must  expel  a  doubtful  gratification  by  introducing  a  helpful  amusement. 
As  Dr.  Robinson  expresses  it:  "Dispossession  by  pre  occupancy." 

Then  straight  forward!  Stand  by  the  old  land  marks!  Do  not  curve  the 
lines,  or  crook  the  fence.  Stand  by  the  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord."  It  is  the 
successful  way.  When  the  late  Dr.  C.  F.  Deems,  of  New  York,  wanted 
money  to  pa}'  off  the  indebtedness  on  his  church  he  called  on  Commodore 
Vanderbilt.  "  Are  you  going  to  preach  what  I  want  to  hear,"  asked  the 
old  man  sternly.  "I  shall  try  to  preach  acceptably,"  answered  the 
clergyman.  No  sooner  had  he  said  the  words  than  he  realized  that  they 
lacked  the  spirit  of  his  master,  and  added  quickh',  "  I  shall  preach  the 
Gospel  as  I  believe  and  understand  it,  and  if  30U  have  any  special  sins  I 
shall  be  most  likel}' to  preach  against  them."  "Humph,"  said  the 
Commodore,  and  ended  the  interview.  But  the  next  day  he  sent  Dr. 
Deems  a  check  for  ^50,000  for  not  being  afraid  to  do  his  dutj'. 

150TH  Anniversary  Hymn 

By  Rev.  F.  Denison,  A.  M.,  Providence,  R.  I. 


Tune.— The  Old  Oaken  Bucket. 

One  hundred  and  fifty  winged  years  have  departed 

Since  here,  in  the  wilderness,  trusting  in  God, 
Our  fathers  and  mothers,  devout  and  brave-hearted. 

For  truth  and  for  conscience  in  covenant  stood. 
With  loyal  devotion  they  laid  the  foundation 

Around  which  their  children  have  lovingly  knelt, 
And  each  generation,  with  new  consecration. 

The  smile  and  the  cheer  of  the  Savior  has  felt. 

While  over  our  land  has  swept  bloody  commotion 

And  forms  of  oppression  were  fully  cast  down. 
True  libert}-,  marching  from  mountains  to  oceans, 

Bn'  will  of  the  Lord,  wears  the  national  crown. 
Due  praise  to  our  Baptist  forefathers  be  given, 

With  all  who  stood  fearless  in  Liberty's  fight. 
Elected  and  guided  by  edict  of  Heaven — 

The  Bible  their  sole  Magna  Charta  of  right. 

True  churches  of  Christ  stand  aligned  and  undaunted, 

Proclaiming  his  gospel  to  perishing  men: 
And  here  has  his  word  and  his  spirit  been  granted — 

His  message  received,  but  to  herald  again  — 
And  forward  to  others  we  send  salutation — 

Stand  fast  by  the  right  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord, 
High  holding  the  cross  as  the  pledge  of  salvation, 

And  find  in  the  city  of  God  your  reward. 


92 

Beatae   Memoriae. 

Written  for  the  One  Hundred  and  Fiftieth  Anniversary  of  the  Hightstown 

Baptist   Church. 

By  Rev.  S.  Giffard  Nelson.  Mt.  Holly,  N.  J. 


We  meet,  to-night,  on  hallowed  ground 

Whereon  the  earl}'  fathers  trod. 
And  h3-mns  the}-  taught  us  still  resound 

Where  once  they  met  to  worship  God. 

The  centuries  solemn  vigil  keep 

Above  their  hamlet,  church  and  tomb. 

And,  where  the  grand  old  singers  sleep. 
Their  altar-fires  their  graves  illume. 

Their's  was  the  lofty  faith  of  old — 

The  faith  the  high  born  prophets  knew— 

A  faith  that  bade  them  grandly  hold 
Their  being  vassal  to  the  true. 

All  other  yoke  they  scorned;  and  dared 
For  conscience,  kings  and  courts  to  brave; 

Then,  heedless  how  their  fortune  fared. 
Set  sail  for  freedom  or  the  grave. 

Grown  weary  of  the  creedal  feud, 

Their  souls  b\-  sorrow  purified. 
They  sought  the  simple  brotherhood 

Embittered  zealots  had  denied. 

And,  east  of  rolling  Delaware, 

And  south  of  rilling  Raritan, 
They  found  a  moorland,  in  whose  air. 

The  child  of  God  became — a  man. 

And,  here,  on  Jersey's  virgin  soil. 
Where  bigotry  had  never  thriven. 

They  gave  their  dajs  to  honest  toil. 
Their  years  to  God,  their  hopes  to  Heaven. 

Kingship  of  Christ  "  their  simple  creed. 
The  Book  inspired,  their  rule  of  faith, — 

The  staff  divine,  of  human  need. 

The  sword  that  triumphs  over  death  ! 

A  humble  fane  their  choice  sufficed. 

Where,  clad  in  raiment  white  and  clean, 

They  might  behold  the  Bride  of  Christ 
In  apostolic,  pristine  mein. 


SrxDAY  School  Suterintknoknt  and  Di;acun. 


93 

Of  learning  they  had  little  store, 

To  meek  confines  they  held  their  thought, 

Enough,  immortal   Bunyan's  lore, 

And  truth,  as  Roger  Williams  taught. 

So,  Hightstown's  band  of  seventeen 

Here  reared  their  Bethel,  and  were  led 
By  waters  still  and  pastures  green, 

Till  slowly  numbered  with  the  dead. 

From  sires  the  trust  bequeathed  to  sons 

Was  grandly  kept;  and,  now,  as  then. 
The  church  her  race  of  glory  runs. 

And  rounds,  to-night,  seven  score-and  ten. 

And,  where  the  walls  their  shadows  fling, 
The  youth  of  many  a  household  throng, 

And  learning  folds  her  burnished  wing. 
And  lists  to  catch  her  own  sweet  song. 

Heaven  guard  thee,  mother  church,  sublime  ! 

Enlarge  thy  coast  till  latest  days. 
And  bless  thy  pastor,  in  his  prime, 

Whose  worth  and  wisdom  all  men  praise  ! 

Sunday  Morning,  Nov.  3RD. 

At  the  appointed  hour  the  Sunday  school  room  was  filled  to  its 
full  capacity.  Mrs.  Mary  Barker  gave  interesting  reminiscences  of 
the  early  days  of  the  school.  Mrs.  Philip  F.  Botzong  spoke  of  How 
we  could  Help  the  School.  Mr.  Enoch  Barker  on  Results.  Letters 
were  read  from  Mrs.  Mattie  Marten  Grenelle,  of  Deckertown,  Mrs. 
Ivuella  Reed  Middlebrook,  of  California,  and  Mrs.  E.  M.  Avery,  of 
New  York.  The  Stiperintendent,  Mr.  John  E.  Allen,  spoke  sub- 
stantially as  follows  : 

As  we  look  back  into  the  olden  time  we  ask  the  question :  Was  there  a 
Sunday  School  at  that  time  ?  If  so,  what  were  its  methods,  its  manner 
in  carrying  on  the  work.  I  think  that  we  might  all  agree  in  saying  that 
there  was  a  Sunday  School,  or  an  appointed  hour  for  each  Sabbath,  when 
our  older  parents  'with  their  children  would  meet  for  the  reading  and 
teaching  of  God's  word.  Old  and  young  for  miles  around  might  have 
been  seen  every  Sabbath  morning  treading  their  way  to  this  school.  So 
earnest  for  the  truth,  to  teach  and  do  His  will,  that  through  storm  and 
sun.shine   they   felt   their   presence   needed   the   same.     To   lay  well  the 


94 

foundation  of  Bible  truths  was  the  aim  and  purpose  of  these  Christian 
heroes.  Their  absence  would  mean  neglect  of  duty.  Sacrifices  must  be 
made.  Consecrated  combined  Christian  effort  must  be  theirs  in  order 
that  this  church  and  school  might  grow.  Had  thej-  grown  indifferent, 
their  faith  allowed  to  weaken  through  discouragements,  through  trials, 
the  church  in  its  infancy-  would  have  died  out,  and  we  to-day  would  not 
be  enjoying  this  "blessed  heritage."  Through  hardship,  in  perils  of 
winter  thev  came  to  meet  in  a  cold  cheerless  room.  No  conveniences,  no 
lesson  helps  as  we  now  enjoy,  save  the  "  open  Bible."  They  were  few  in 
number,  but  strong  in  faith.  Ready  and  willing  to  respond  when  needed. 
We  to  day  could  not  be  enjoying  such  blessed  privileges,  nor  boast  of  the 
work  done  for  Christ's  Kingdom  in  this  school,  had /"//n'  not  first  "learned 
to  endure."  Let  us  take  heed  not  to  ignore,  and  despise  old  methods, 
nor  the  "  old  time  religion;"  but  rather  to  adore  and  bow  in  holy  rever- 
ence to  their  Christian  faith  and  example.  By  their  Christian  fortitude 
and  perseverance,  may  we  learn  many  lessons  ;  that  the  way  to  the  cross 
must  sometimes  be  borne  through  trials  and  hardship  and  while  it  might 
not  be  our  v^-aj'  it  might  be  God's  way.  If  teachers  fail  to  respond  to 
their  duties,  and  scholars  grow  careless,  become  irregular,  and  the  spirit- 
ual interest  appears  to  be  at  a  stand.still,  let  us  remember  that  they  have 
passed  through  the  same  ordeal.  May  the  Lord  help  us  to  be  strong,  and 
of  good  courage.  Pray  as  we  work,  our  faith  unfaltering;  that  our  lives  b)' 
deed  and  example  may  be  such  as  shall  shine  forth  for  truth  and  right- 
eousness in  the  hearts  of  our  scholars.  Each  year  many  souls  from  our 
school  have  come  into  the  vineyard  for  work.  Many  of  them  are  faraway 
in  other  fields  of  labor.  To-day  we  can  thank  God  that  the  one  hundred 
and  fiftieth  Anniversary  finds  us  a  happy,  united  family.  In  Pastor, 
Teacher  and  Scholar  dwells  the  utmost  unity,  with  still  higher  aim  and 
purpose  than  past  years,  for  the  spiritual  advancement  of  this  school. 
One  hundred  years  from  to-day  we  will  be  dead.  While  we  are  here  let  us 
see  to  it  by  earnest  endeavor  in  the  Master's  name,  that  our  work  shall  be 
well  done  and  well  fitted  to  leave  in  other  hands,  that  shall  some  day  take 
our  places.  Let  us  pray  that  the  God  who  walked  with  our  fathers,  may 
continue  to  v\-alk  with  us,  and  bless  this  school  for  His  name's  sake. 

Church,  Morning  Service. 

At  II  o'clock  the  audience  filled  the  church.  The  pastor,  Dr.  O. 
P.  Eaches  conducted  the  exercises,  reading  Matt.  5:  1-16.  Rev.  A. 
S.  Flock  prayed.     All  joined  in  .singing: 

"  How  pleased  and  blessed  was  I," 

and 

"  Awake  mj-  soul  and  with  the  sun," 


95 

Anniversary  Sermon. 

By  Geo.  W.  Cl.\rk,  D.  D. 

(a  sketch.) 


Matt.  S-'  14- — "  ye  are  the  light  of  the  worlds 
It  seems  fitting  this  morning  as  we  are  passing  the  one  hundred  and 
fiftieth  annual  milestone  of  this  church,  to  pause  and  catch  a  view  of  our 
relations  to  Christ  and  to  the  world  about  us  ;  to  consider  wh\-  we  exist 
as  a  church  and  as  individual  members  of  it  ;  to  ponder  the  mission  God 
has  given  us,  our  duties  and  obligations  ;  to  catch  inspiration  and 
encouragement  from  the  past,  and  gird  ourselves  for  present  and  future 
labors  and  conflict.  To  help  us  attain  this  end,  let  us  dwell  awhile  upon 
this  theme,  Christians,  the  Light  of  the  World. 

The  phrase  here  used,  "the  light  of  the  world,"  is  equivalent  toWx^  sun 
of  the  world.  It  is  applied  to  the  great  orb  of  day,  and  Christ  applies  it 
figuratively  both  to  himself  and  his  disciples.  We  can  easil}-  conceive 
how  Christ  is  the  sun  to  our  darkened  world,  sending  forth  ra3's  of  glory 
and  of  truth  from  him.self.  But  how  can  Christians  be  styled  by  the 
same  name  ?  Evidently  onh-  as  the  true  light  is  /;/  them,  and  as  it  shines 
through  their  character  and  lives.  Theirs  is  not  a  mere  reflected  light 
like  so  many  mirrors,  but  the  light  is  within  them.  God  has  put  it  there 
by  His  spirit.  But  hozc  are  Christians  to  send  forth  their  light  ?  Through 
their  tongues,  "the  words  of  the  wise  are  as  goads  and  as  nails  well 
fastened."  Through  their  examples.  It  is  the  part  of  pure  religion  to 
keep  "  unspotted  from  the  world."  Through  their  work.  That  men  may 
see  their  good  works  and  glorify  God.  But  not  only  individually,  but 
also  collectively,  are  they  the  light  of  the  world.  Their  light  is  to  shine 
through  churches.  They  are  thus  to  hold  forth  the  truth  as  Christ  has 
committed  it  to  them.  They  are  to  hold  fast  to  the  doctrines,  the 
ordinances  and  the  practices  which  have  come  down  to  us  from  Christ 
and  his  Apostles.  In  their  church  organizations  and  in  their  church  life 
they  are  to  be  witnesses  for  Christ.  They  are  to  take  the  Bible  as  their 
guide,  and  the  New  Testament  as  their  standard  of  faith  and  practice. 
The  light  of  Christ  the  head  must  shine  through  his  church  his  body. 

I.     It  is  natural  for  religion  to  show  it.self.     It  is  in  the  nature  of  light 
to  shine;  and  so  it  is  of  the  nature  of  truth  to  spread,  and  of  religion  in 
the  soul  to  bring  every  power  of  body  and  mind  in  subjection  to  Christ- 
Why   then   do  christians   and   churches   fail   to   let   their   light   shine  ? 
Because  it  is  obstructed.     It  is  covered  over  by  the  world,  coldness,  for- 


96 

mality,  and  neglect  of  duty.  If  you  put  a  candle  under  a  bushel,  the 
light  will  exhaust  the  air  and  extinguish  itself.  So  all  attempts  to  cover 
your  religious  light  will  only  lessen  the  flame  in  your  hearts.  Alas,  that 
so  many  should  have  covered  it  so  long  that  the  flame  is  scarcely  visible! 
And  now  you  complain  of  little  love,  and  small  interest ;  and  you  are 
troubled  about  what  to  do.  Take  off  the  cover!  Take  off"  the  cover! 
Let  some  of  the  pure  air  of  heaven  ventilate  your  souls,  and  the  flame 
within  you  will  increase  in  size  and  brightness. 

II.  Seek  then  to  shine  brightl}'  and  prominently.  The  text  tells  what 
you  are  and  what  is  your  mission  in  the  world.  Your  place  is  in  the 
world,  before  men,  in  the  community  where  you  live  and  in  the  church 
where  you  belong.  You  are  to  be  where  you  can  be  seen,  like  a  city  on  a 
hill,  and  there  to  let  your  light  shine  to  the  full  extent  of  its  brightness. 
You  owe  it  to  God,  the  Author  of  all.  You  owe  it  to  yourselves  for  your 
own  good.  You  owe  it  to  your  brethren,  thereby  helping  them  to  let 
their  light  shine.  I  hear  some  of  my  j'ounger  brethren,  shouting  the 
motto  "  For  Christ  and  the  Church."  Most  excellent  indeed.  But  what 
Christ?  Why  your  Christ,  whom  you  received,  and  to  whom  you  conse- 
crated your  service.  For  Christ  ?  Then  you  must  conform  to  his  Spirit. 
For  Christ  ?  Then  you  must  obey  his  words.  For  Christ  ?  Then  must 
you  be  faithful  to  him  in  all  things.  But  what  church  ?  Your  church, 
where  you  have  made  your  most  solemn  vows,  in  the  presence  of  God, 
and  angels  and  men.  Here  is  the  place  where  you  are  to  put  your  light, 
keep  your  light  and  send  forth  your  light.  And  you  owe  it  to  Christians 
of  other  names.  If  we  follow  Christ  in  doctrines  and  practice  more  closely 
as  we  believe,  than  some  others,  then  we  should  show  it  in  our  lives. 
None  should  be  more  consecrated,  none  more  earnest,  none  more  devoted 
than  we.  Since  Baptists  lay  special  stress  on  the  Bible  as  their  standard 
and  ultimate  ground  of  appeal,  they  should  first  of  all  others  be  Bible 
Christians.  Since  they  put  special  emphasis  upon  following  the  example 
of  Christ  and  his  apostles,  they  should  be  pre-eminently  Christ-like, 
and  apostolic.  It  is  because  Baptists  have  discarded  human  authority 
and  made  the  Bible  their  sole  standard  and  ground  of  appeal,  and  rule  of 
faith  and  practice,  that  they  have  been,  and  are,  what  they  are.  One 
hundred  and  fifty  years  ago  when  this  church  was  organized,  they 
stood  distinctively  for  the  five  following  important  principles  : 

First.  Freedom  of  conscience  and  the  entire  separation  of  church  and 
state.  Second.  A  converted  church  membership.  Third.  Baptism  and 
the  Lord's  Supper  of  no  avail  without  choice  and  faith.    Fourth.    Believers 


97 
the  only  scriptural  subjects  of  baptism.  Fifth.  Immersion,  onl}-  the 
baptism  of  the  New  Testament.  A  considerable  part  of  these  principles 
have  been  conceded  fully  or  largely  since  that  day  by  many  of  the  wisest 
and  best  of  other  denominations.  The  great  principle  of  soul  liberty,  the 
rights  of  conscience  and  of  separation  of  church  and  state,  for  which 
Baptists  were  then  struggling  so  nobly,  have  become  a  permanent 
principle  in  our  government,  and  is  held  professedly  by  all  denominations 
in  our  countrv.  Evangelical  churches  generally  demand  conversion  as  a 
condition  of  membership.  Infant  baptism  has  greatly  decreased,  and  it 
is  estimated  that  not  far  from  a  million  immersed  believers  are  members 
of  churches  of  other  names.  Baptists  thus  have  not  shed  forth  their 
church  light  in  vain. 

But  if  we  have  been  a  blessing  to  the  world  and  to  the  church  in 
the  past,  we  surely  may  be  so  in  the  future.  Baptists  still  have  a 
mission.  Let  us  be  true  to  our  principles.  In  a  Christ-like  spirit, 
let  us  boldly,  firmly,  yet  lovingly  contend  for  the  whole  counsel  of 
God.  The  past  encourages  us  to  hope  for  greater  results  in  the  future. 
In  this  way  more  than  in  any  other  can  we  work  for  Christian  unity,  and 
hasten  the  day  when  Christians  of  every  name  and  every  clime  shall  be 
substantially  one.  From  the  past  may  we  not  hope  that  the  unifying 
process  may  go  on.  Baptist  principles  have  been  the  center  toward 
which  the  denominations  have  the  last  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  been 
tending.  These  principles  as  we  believe  are  Bible  principles.  It  is  union 
in  the  truth  and  for  the  truth,  that  we  labor  for  and  pray.  May  we  not 
hope  that  one  hundred  and  fifty  more  years  will  bring  all  christians  close 
to  that  center.  They  may  still  bear  different  names,  and  be  marshalled 
under  their  several  banners,  and  yet  be  united  in  the  truth  and  holding 
the  truth  in  unity.  Each  bearing  the  gospel  flag,  each  marching  at  the 
word  of  the  Lord  Jesus  as  their  Lord,  and  the  head  of  the  church,  in  true 
allegiance  and  in  true  obedience  ;  and  thus  all  endeavoring  to  "keep  the 
unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bonds  of  peace"— one  Lord,  one  faith,  one 
baptism,  one  God,  and  Father  all,  who  is  above  all,  and  through  all,  and 
in  you  all.— Eph.  4  :  5,  6.  Until  that  happy  and  glorious  day  shall  come, 
you  brethren  and  Baptist  Churchs  shall  not  have  accomplished  their 
mission.  But  you  especially  owe  it  to  the  unregenerated  world.  You 
are  like  light-houses  along  a  rock-bound  coast.  You  are  rather  like  the 
keepers  of  these  light-houses.  How  condemnable  the  negligence  of  one 
of  these  who  should  fail  to  light  his  lantern  on  a  stormy  night.  How 
great  disasters  would  result  to  many  mariners  sailing  those  coasts.  But 
greater,  far  greater  the  disa.ster  that  may  result  from  the  negligence  of  a 


Christian  to  hold  up  his  light  on  the  sea  of  life!     Nothing  less  than  the 
loss  of  souls! 

"For  sadder  sight  the  eye  can  know 
Than  from  barks  lost,  or  seamen's  woe  — 
The  shipivreck  of  the  soul.'" 

III.  Permit  me  also  to  emphasize  the  universality  of  this  truth,  as 
applicable  to  every  disciple,  to  both  the  pastor  and  his  people  The  aim 
of  the  pastor  and  the  aim  of  his  people  are  the  same — the  building  up  of 
Christ's  cause,  and  the  salvation  of  souls.  The  pastor  has  his  flock,  but 
they  have  their  families,  their  acquaintances  and  their  friends.  The  life 
of  every  disciple  should  be  a  daily  warning  against  sin,  a  daily  invitation 
to  come  to  Jesus,  a  daily  encouragement  to  serve  God.  Thus  the  pastor 
is  only  one  among  many  lights.  His  should  indeed  shine  brightly,  but 
theirs  should  also.  It  was  never  intended  that  the  light  of  a  church 
should  be  embodied  in  the  light  of  the  pastor,  but  that  he  should  be  sur- 
rounded by  many  burning,  shining  lights,  and  that  thus  their  united 
splendor  should  be  shed  forth  upon  a  dark  and  sin  cursed  world. 

IV.  Allow  me  also  to  urge  upon  you  the  necessity  of  attending  to 
your  inward  light.  As  we  have  already  noticed  the  light  is  within  you, 
placed  there  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is  bj-  pra^'er  that  heaven  is  opened, 
and  the  Holy  Sprit  comes  in  and  fills  the  heart.  Watch  then  and  pray. 
Renounce  every  sin,  live  near  to  God.  Let  your  light  shine  from  a  con- 
secrated heart  through  a  consecrated  life.  Thus  increase  the  light  of  this 
church  b}'  increasing  the  light  in  3'our  own  souls. 

V.  But  does  not  this  subject  appeal  to  3'ou  who  do  not  profess  to  be 
Christians  ?  Christians  are  the  light  of  the  ivorld.  They  send  forth  their 
light  for  you.  Have  you  not  seen  it  in  this  church  and  its  pastor,  in  a 
pious  friend,  in  an  anxious  father,  or  mother,  or  teacher,  or  acquaintance.-* 
Have  you  not  seen  it  in  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  in  the  words  of 
Christians,  and  in  their  pious  examples.  O  how  much  light  has  beamed 
upon  3'our  path,  showing  you  the  way  to  the  cross  and  to  heaven.  Do 
not  find  fault  with  the  church,  with  the  dimness  of  the  light  of  some,  and 
the  imperfections  of  the  light  of  others.  The  sun  has  its  dark  spots  upon 
it.  You  surely  would  not  refuse  to  be  guided  by  it,  because  of  those  dark 
spots.  Be  as  wise  in  spiritual  as  in  earthly  things.  "Awake  thou  that 
sleepest,  and  arise  from  the  dead  and  Christ  shall  give  the  light." 

But  I  must  close.  From  the  past  we  must  turn  ourselves  to  the  future. 
More  than  a  thousand  lights  during  the  past  150  years  have  ceased  their 
shining  here  ;  they  have  gone  to  be  living  stars,  shining  lights  on  high. 


99 
You  and  I  stand  in  their  places.  Let  their  example  inspire  us  to  shine 
brightly  for  Christ.  We  seem  to  stand  in  their  presence,  as  it  were,  to- 
day. From  their  blest  abode  their  eyes  seem  fixed  on  us,  and  I  seem  to 
hear  them  saying,  "  Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men  that  they  seeing 
your  good  works  may  glorify  your  Father  in  Heaven."  Brethren  and 
friends,  the  ages  are  looking  down  upon  us  A  vast  host  gathered  from 
Hightstown  and  Middletown,  and  Manasquan,  and  Hamilton  Square, 
and  Trenton  and  Penn's  Neck,  and  wherever  this  church  has  had  influ- 
ence, are  watching  us  with  interest.  Be  then  faithful.  Seeing  then  that 
we  are  surrounded  with  so  great  a  cloud  of  witnesses,  let  us  lay  aside 
every  weight  and  whatever  sin  may  easilj-  beset  us,  and  let  us  run  the 
race  that  is  set  before  us,  looking  unto  Jesus,  the  author  and  finisher  of 
our  faith,  who  for  the  jo}^  .set  before  him  endured  the  cross,  despising  the 
shame,  and  has  sat  down  at  the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of  God.  And 
He  it  is  that  has  promised  "To  him  that  overcometh,  I  will  give  him  the 
morning  star." — Rev.  2  :  28. 

After  the  sermon  the  following  paper  was  read  on 
Woman's  Work  in  the  Church. 
By  Miss  Bertha  R.  Clark. 


The  last  thirty  years  have  seen  a  wonderful  advance  in  woman's  influ- 
ence in  all  departments  of  church  work.  There  is  no  doubt  that  this  is 
due  in  great  measure  to  the  development  of  her  interest  in  missions.  The 
feeling  graduall}-  came  to  women  that  they  must  do  more  to  give  the 
knowledge  of  Christ  to  the  women  of  the  East.  One  or  two  undenomina- 
tional societies  existed  as  early  as  1S14,  but  it  was  not  until  1871  that  the 
Woman's  Baptist  Foreign  Mis-sionar}'  Society  was  organized,  as  an  auxil- 
iary to  the  Missionary  Union.  The  women  of  Baptist  Churches,  besides 
contributing  to  the  general  society,  were  to  raise  special  funds  for  work 
among  women  and  children  of  heathen  lands.  This  interest  in  foreign 
missions  led  later  to  the  formation  of  home  mission  societies.  To-day-  the 
women  of  our  churches  render  invaluable  assistance  to  the  cause  of 
missions.  We  are  glad  to  note  that  the  women  of  this  church  were 
among  the  first  to  respond  to  the  foreign  missionary  appeal  of  1871. 

Our  Woman's  Missionary  Society  was  organized  April  29,  1872,  with  the 
help  of  Mrs.  William  Ward,  a  missionary  from  Assam.  The  membership 
has  varied  much  during  these  twenty -three  years.  At  least  three  hundred 
women  have  at  some  time  been  connected  with  our  societ}-.  Some  of 
these  have  been  members  for  a  short  time  only.  Many  earnest  workers 
have  died,  but  a  large  number  are  now  in  other  churches  and,  we  believe, 
proving  themselves  as  invaluable  as  they  did  here.  In  looking  over  the 
early  records  we  find  that  ten  of  our  present  number  joined  the  society 


lOO 

during  its  first  year.  There  were  sixty  nine  members  at  that  time.  The 
largest  membership  was  in  1876  when  there  was  a  total  of  one  hundred 
and  seven,  but  that  year  did  not  show  a  corresponding  increase  in  contri- 
butions. The  society  was  purely  a  foreign  missionary  organization  until 
1883,  when  a  home  mission  department  was  added.  The  membership  of 
each  is  kept  distinct,  but  we  consider  home  and  foreign  fields  alternately 
in  our  meetings.  We  now  have  eighty-four  members,  forty-nine  contrib- 
uting to  foreign,  and  thirty-five  to  home  missions. 

The  first  officers  were  :  President,  Mrs.  M.  P.  Eaches;  Vice-President, 
Mrs.  Enoch  Allen;  Secretary,  Miss  Addie  Silvers;  Treasurer,  Mrs.  M. 
H.  Smith.  Our  other  Presidents  have  been  Mrs.  E.  P.  Bond,  Mrs.  Mary 
Barker,  who  also  taught  the  infant  class  for  about  twent\'  3-ears,  and  Mrs. 
G.  W.  Clark,  who  has  served  as  President  thirteen  years.  Others  of  our 
number  have  given  years  of  faithful  service  as  officers:  Mrs.  C.  W.  Liv- 
ingston, Mrs  J.  M.  Eaches,  as  Vice  Presidents;  Miss  Sadie  Pembrook, 
Secretary  for  eleven  years;  Mrs.  Hannah  Cubberly,  Treasurer  for  four- 
teen years;  Mrs.  T.  L.  Hermance,  Treasurer  for  seven  years. 

The  total  amount  that  has  been  raised  by  our  societ}'  is  $2,780.15  Of 
this  $1,699.85  was  contributed  to  foreign  missions,  and  $1,080.30  to  home 
missions.  This  result,  though  small  compared  with  what  is  done  else- 
where, represents  much  prayer  and  many  hours  of  patient,  hopeful  work. 

In  iS84we  began  to  hold  public  anniversaries.  By  this  means  we  have 
been  able  to  hear  many  missionary  workers,  and  have  come  to  understand 
very  clearly  how  much  the  world  needs  Christ.  The  vinion  missionary 
meetings,  which  occur  quarterl}',  are  a  pleasant  feature  of  our  work. 
They  have  been  held  for  the  past  three  years  and  have  proved  very  help- 
ful. Our  four  societies  meet  together  and  all  others  interested  in  missions 
are  welcome. 

Only  one  of  our  former  members  has  become  a  foreign  missionary. 
Miss  Ella  C.  Bond,  who  spent  nine  years  in  Assam,  was  once  an  active 
member  of  our  Society,  and  a  teacher  in  our  Sunday  school.  Miss  Mamie 
Avery  has  done  city  mission  work  in  New  York.  May  we  not  hope  that, 
as  3'ears  go  by,  many  of  the  members  of  this  church  will  enter  active  mis- 
sionary service. 

May  17,  1884,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Woman's  Missionar}'  Sooiet\',  a 
Mission  Band  was  started  with  Miss  Sadie  Pembiook  as  President.  This 
was  the  first  organization  in  the  church  especially  for  young  people.  In 
five  years  they  contributed  $130.17  to  missions.  The  Band  remained  in 
this  form  until  May,  1889,  when  the  younger  members,  with  the  boys  who 
then  for  the  first  time  joined  the  society,  became  the  Boys'  and  Girls' 
Mission  Band.  The  young  women  reorganized  as  the  "  Golden  Chain" 
Mission  Band.  Four  years  later  they  changed  their  name  to  "  Farther 
Lights."  They  have  had  four  Presidents,  Miss  Pembrook,  Miss  Lillie 
Clark,  Miss  Sadie  Ayers,  Miss  Ada  Hutchinson.  For  two  years  the  Band 
had  no  President.  Four  Vice-Presidents  were  elected  to  take  charge  of 
the  meetings  and  the  work  of  the  Society.  When  in  1893  Miss  Lillie  B. 
Clark  was  made  President,  this  arrangement  was  continued.  The  plan 
has  proved  an  admirable  one.  The  last  three  years  have  been  ver^'  suc- 
ce,ssful.     The  Band  has  gradually  extended  its  work  in  sending  flowers 


and  fruit  to  Missions  in  New  York.  Last  year  a  circulating  library  of 
missionary  books  was  started  There  are  forty  members.  The  monej- 
raised  bv  subscriptions  is  divided  between  home  and  foreign  missions. 
During  the  past  six  years  the\-  have  contributed  to  missions  S273.25. 

The  Boys'  and  Girls'  Mission  Band  after  various  changes  became  the 
"  Little  Helpers  "  Band  in  1891.  They  now  have  forty  two  members  and 
have  given  Sio  to  missions.  Mrs.  J.  E.  Perry  has  been  Superintendent 
for  two  years,  and  under  her  guidance  they  are  learning  to  do  their  part 
in  this  great  work.     The3-  will  be  the  missionary  women  of  the  future. 

November  3,  1S93,  the  voung  men  and  older  boys  formed  a  Societ}'  of 
their  own.  Previous  to  this  they  had  met  with  the  3'ounger  band.  Mrs. 
Eaches  has  been  director  of  the  Young  Men's  Missionary  Society-  since  its 
organization,  and  the  success  of  its  work  has  been  due  largeh-  to  her 
efforts.  Their  officers  are  elected  twice  a  year.  The  Presidents  from  the 
first  have  been:  Mr.  Frank  Pullen,  Mr.  Willie  Hutchinson,  Mr.  Charles 
H.  Weller,  Mr.  Logan  Clevenger.  There  are  twenty-four  members.  All 
nionev  raised  is  given  to  the  general  societies.  The}'  have  contributed  to 
various  missionary  objects  $79  75. 

There  is  another  organization  which  has  been  doing  missionary-  work 
within  the  church.  The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  has  contributed  much  to  the 
efficiency  of  this  church  during  the  last  thirteen  years.  This  has  been 
done  in  many  practical  ways.  They  have  assisted  in  meeting  many  inci- 
dental expenses,  which  would  otherwise  have  proved  a  burden.  Many  of 
the  improvements  which  we  have  seen  from  time  to  time  are  the  result  of 
their  thoughtful  efforts.  Since  their  organization  November  10,  1882, 
they  have  expended  for  such  purpo,ses  $2,850.66.  Mrs.  M.  M.  Job  has  been 
President  from  the  first  and  Miss  Elmira  Silvers,  Vice-President.  There 
have  been  two  Treasurers,  Mrs.  S.  E.  Vannest  and  Miss  Susie  De}',  who 
has  served  since  18S4.  We  hope  the  time  will  come  when  every  woman 
in  the  church  will  be  activeU"  engaged  in  this  work.  Mrs.  Job  has  also 
taught  the  Infant  Class  for  many  years. 

The  Missionary-  Societies  proper  have  raised  5i?3,i43.i5  ;  the  Ladies'  Aid 
Society,  $2,850.66,  giving  a  total  of  $5,993.81.  This  amount  gives  the  re- 
sult, as  far  as  figures  can  show  it,  of  the  work  of  the  women  in  this 
church  for  the  past  twent3-three  years.  The  Societies  have  had  alwa3-s 
the  most  cordial  and  heart}'  co-operation  of  our  pastor.  Dr.  Eaches,  and 
much  of  our  success  may  be  attributed  to  his  thoughtful  suggestions  and 
encouragement. 

We  feel  sure  that  our  Missionary  Societies  have  had  ?m  important  in- 
fluence in  making  our  church  a  missionary-  church.  Many  of  us  date  our 
interest  in  missions  from  work  done  in  connection  with  these  organiza- 
tions. The  spirit  of  Christ  is  essentialh-  a  missionary  spirit.  One  of  the 
best  tests  of  the  spiritual  life  ot  a  church  is  obedience  to  the  last  command 
of  Christ,  to  give  the  Gospel  not  onl\-  to  our  neighbor,  but  to  all  nations 
of  the  world.  No  Christian  who  studies  the  subject  can  long  withhold 
his  pra\-ers  and  gifts  from  this  cause  in  which  Christ  is  most  interested. 
The  more  we  know  of  the  degradation  of  heathenism  and  the  dangers 
which  threaten  our  countr}-,  the  stronger  our  desire  will  be  to  take  and 
keep  the  whole  world  for  Christ. 


I02 

A  Special  Service  of  the  Junior  Endeavor  was  held  in  Sun- 
day School  room  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  conducted  by- 
Miss  Grace  Clevenger,  Superintendent.  Rev.  Dr.  O.  P.  Eaches  and 
J.  E.  Allen,  made  addresses. 

Sunday  Evening  Service. 

A  large  and  interesting  service  of  the  Christian  Endeavor  was 
held  in  the  Sunday  school  room  at  half  past  six.  Mr.  P.  F.  Botzong, 
State  President  of  the  Baptist  Young  People's  Union,  made  an 
address  on  "The  Need  of  Training  in  Baptist  Principles."  A 
letter  was  read  from  Isaac  E.  Chamberlin.  Mr.  C.  Boud  ColE 
gave  an  historical  address,  of  which  the  following  is  a  sketch: 

One  of  the  youngest  and  most  important  departments  of  our  church  life 
is  found  in  the  Young-  People's  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor. 

The  Pastor,  recognizing  in  it  a  long-looked-for  organization  which 
could  be  most  effectively  used  as  a  training  school  for  the  young  people 
of  the  church,  organized  the  Society  Dec.  22,  1886,  with  a  charter  member- 
ship of  sixty-two.  Since  that  time  the  Society  has  had  two  hundred  and 
sixty  Active  members  and  seventy-four  Associate.  Its  present  member- 
ship is  one  hundred  and  four  Active  and  twelve  Associate. 

The  Society  has  been  an  important  factor  in  many  directions.  Its 
prayer  meetings  on  Sunday  evenings  have  always  been  helpful  and 
inspiring,  and  many  have  been  led  in  these  meetings  to  take  the  first  step 
toward  the  Christian  life;  and  still  more  have  shown,  by  their  interest  and 
participation,  their  growth  in  grace.  The  church  praj^er  meeting  has  felt 
its  influence  in  a  marked  degree.  In  conjunction  with  the  Sundaj^  school 
it  has  for  several  years  supported  a  native  Bible  woman  in  India. 

For  two  years  it  has  carried  on  a  course  of  popular  free  lectvires.  In 
short,  its  membership  has  always  shown  that  the  Society  is  what  it  was 
intended  to  be,  a  Pastor's  Aid  Society. 

Its  olhcers  are  chosen  every  six  months ;  ladies  and  gentlemen  alternating 
as  Presidents.  The  following  have  been  its  Presidents  named  in  their 
proper  order:  B.  P.  Stout,  C.  A.  Pullen,  Sadie  A.  Pembrook,  C.  Boud  Cole, 
Hattie  Dalrymple,  Lillie  C.  Robbins,  Luella  B.  Reed,  Chas.  E.  Cole, 
Lizzie  D.  Pembrook,  Phebe  Cox,  Matthew  Sutphen,  Cora  B.  Tracy,  F.  V. 
Jemison,  Sadie  H.  Ayres,  C.  Boud  Cole,  Evva  Kelley,  Chas.  Craig,  Tillie 
VanNest. 

Miss  Ada  Hutchin.son  read  a  paper  on  ' '  Our  Influence. ' ' 
The  roll  of  the  ex-Presidents   of  the   Society    was   called  and  a 
number  of  them  responded. 

The  attendance  at  this  meeting  was  the  largest  in  the  history  of 
the  Society. 


I03 

A  large  congregation  gathered  at  the  church  for  evening  service, 
which  was  under  the  direction  of  the  pastor,  assisted  by  Dr.  G.  W. 
Clark  and  others.     All  united  in  singing. 

"  Glory  to  thee  my  God  this  night." 
Mrs.  N.  C.  Schlottman  read  a  paper,  of  which  the  following  is 
a  sketch: 

What  the  Young  People  must  do  for  the  Church. 

The  term  "  3'oung  people"  is  generallj^  applied  to  those  having  the 
strength  and  enthusiasm  of  youth.  The}^  are  especially  fitted  for  church 
work  because  of  their  strength,  enthusiasm  and  the  new  ideas  they  bring 
to  the  work.  Young  people  can  be  of  use  in  every  department  of  church 
work.  The  Sunday  School,  Christian  Endeavor  Society,  Mission  Bands 
and  Church  Prayer  meeting,  all  afford  good  fields  for  the  young  people's 
work.  They  can  especially  help  the  church  prayer  meeting:  first,  by 
attending  the  meetings  themselves:  second,  by  bringing  some  one  else 
with  them:  third,  by  taking  an  active  part  in  the  meeting.  Be  the  first, 
or  among  the  first  to  take  part.  Don't  be  slow  about  taking  part  for  fear 
someone  else  will  get  up  at  the  same  time.  We  will  have  better  meetings 
when  we  all  get  so  much  of  God's  love  in  our  hearts  and  get  so  anxious 
to  tell  what  He  has  done  for  us,  that  not  only  one,  but  two  or  three  or 
more,  will  rise  to  give  testimony  at  the  same  time.  If  an3^  of  the  young 
people  are  so  situated  they  cannot  attend  the  meetings,  there  is  yet  some- 
thing they  can  do,  and  that  is,  they  can  pray  for  the  meeting.  God  can 
make  the  humblest  effort  of  use  to  Him.  If  you  can  pray  for  the  meetings 
and  attend  them  too,  be  sure  not  to  do  the  former  because  it  is  easier. 
Young  people  have  manj-  excuses  to  give  for  not  attending  the  meetings, 
excuses  which  may  be  all  right,  but  sometimes  very  flimsy.  If  we  cannot 
give  the  same  excuses  to  God  that  we  give  to  our  pastor  and  one  another, 
they  are  not  worth  an3'thing.  God  is  invisible,  but  he  is  none  the  less 
real.  Do  not  we  all  need  to  ask  ourselves  the  question — Am  I  doing  all 
that  I  can  for  Christ's  work  ?  How  man^^  of  us  could  answer  in  the 
afiirinative.'* 

The  church  needs  boys  and  girls  like  Samuel,  who  had  an  open  ear  for 
God's  call:  it  needs  3'oung  men  like  Gideon,  who  was  not  afraid  of  being 
laughed  at,  and  30ung  women  like  Ruth,  who  made  an  entire  consecration 
of  herself  to  God.  Let  us  have  purit3'  in  our  members.  Purit3-  in  the 
individual  means  purit3'  in  the  church.  The  3'oung  people  of  to-da\'  will 
be  the  mature  people  of  to-morrow.  We  need  the  stead3'  strength  of  the 
older  members  and  the  enthusiastic  life  of  the  3'ounger.  The  conversion 
in  3-outh  must  be  followed  at  once  by  culture  and  service.  Jesus  a  long 
time  ago  discovered  the  worth  and  efficienc3'  of  organized  3-oung  people's 
work.  Let  us  be  set  apart  for  Christ  and  His  cause  through  His  church. 
We  must  all  find  a  place  of  work  and  fill  it  full.  We  must  be  3'Oung 
people  on  whom  Christ  and  His  church  nia3'  lean.  Be  enthusia.stic,  be 
earnest,  be  strong,  be  a  pillar! 


I04 

May  we  all  make  this  the  prayer  of  our  lives  — "Lord  what  wilt  thou 
have  me  to  do?"  And  when  He  has  o:iven  us  the  work,  let  us  do  it  with 
our  might. 

After  this,  Mr.  D.  Hart  Cunningham  addressed  the  congregation 
substantially  as  follows  on: 

What  the  Men  must  do  for  the  Church. 

The  Church  of  Christ  has  been  greatly  prospered  in  this  land  during 
the  past  one  hundred  and  fift}-  3'ears.  One  proof  of  this  is  the  fact  that 
the  ratio  of  communicants  has  increased  in  the  past  one  hundred  years 
from  one  to  fourteen  then,  to  one  to  three  now.  But  while  this  progress 
is  rapid  and  steady,  and  a  cause  of  joy  to  American  Christians,  it  has 
accompanying  it  a  feature  which  is  unwelcome.  The  Christian  churches 
do  not  add  to  their  memt)i-rship  men  and  women  in  anything  like  equal 
numbers.  The  majority  of  the  males  of  this  country, — may  I  say  of  this 
neighborhood,  or  of  this  town,  are  not  in  connection  with  any  Christian 
Church. 

The  first  inference  is  that  this  is  a  weakness  of  our  Protestant  Churches, 
as  practical  forces.  Not  that  women  are  to  be  depreciated,  far  from  it. 
Individuall\-  compared,  women  are  the  equals  of  men  in  intellectual  lines 
and  morally  they  are  the  superiors  of  men.  What  is  emphasized  is  the 
fact  that  there  is  a  large  portion  of  every  community,  for  the  most  part 
men,  who  are  not  in  direct  connection  with  the  church;  and  as  a  conse- 
quence the  power  of  the  church  for  good  is  greatly  crippled.  For  instance 
the  commercial  resources  of  our  communities  are  controlled  almost 
exclusively  by  men,  and  the  majority  of  men  are  not  in  the  church. 

The  subject  we  consider  is  of  great  importance,  secondly,  as  exhibiting 
to  the  churches,  to  our  church,  the  one  field  in  which,  above  all  other, 
efforts  need  to  be  made  for  the  conversion  of  souls.  Next  Tuesday-  more 
than  300,000  men  will  take  part  in  our  State  Election — only  about  one- 
fourth  are  members  of  Protestant  Churches.  The  others  rtr.!' rt'// accessible 
to  the  influence  of  the  church.  Let  effort  be  made  then  to  win  them  for 
Christ.  Is  the  work  confessedly  difficult?  Let  it  nevertheless  be  under- 
taken systematically,  earnestly,  pra5'erfully,  looking  unto  Him  with 
whom  all  things  are  possible.  Christian  workers  should  put  forth  ever}' 
effort  to  win  men  for  Christ. 

The  men  of  to-day,  you  and  I  must  help  make  the  histor}-  of  this 
church  for  the  next  twenty-five  years.  The  pastor  and  deacons  cannot  do 
it  alone,  they  need  our  help,  and  our  pra3'ers,  and  our  mone}'.  God  grant 
that  we  ma}'  do  our  part. 

It  is  not  right  when  once  inside  the  doors,  to  fold  our  arms  and  say  by 
our  actions,  "now  we  are  saved,"  "Go  now  ye,  that  are  men  and  serve 
the  Lord."  The  Christian  homes  we  live  in,  the  Christian  atmosphere 
about  us,  we  owe  to  Christ  and  His  church. 

My  brethren,  let  us  each  try  to  live  a  good  life  every  day  in  the  week. 
Do  you  know  the  wonderful  influence  one  good  Christian  man  has  among 
the  church  membership,  not  onl}-  on  the  older  members,  but  particularly 


Jcse-pK  £.  "Perry,   r'li.  13. 

Principal  of  Pkddie  Institute. 


I05 

the  young  men  ?  Cannot  we  recall  to  mind  the  blessed  raenion-  and  help, 
the  life,  the  counsel,  the  prayers  of  the  good  men  of  the  church,  now 
departed?  I  for  one  can.  Christ  first  called  men  to  become  christians. 
Christianity  began  in  a  divine  man.  Its  first  converts  were  eleven  men. 
Its  greatest  leaders  have  been  men,  and  its  triumphs  both  at  home  and  in 
foreign  lands  have  been  acliieved,  m  large  part  by  men.  A  pastor  in  this 
State  sometime  ago  said,  "I  do  not  say  it  disparagingly,  but  somehow 
when  the  average  Christian  man  gets  to  be  forty-five,  he  becomes  a 
spiritual  corpse,  as  far  as  his  usefulness  to  the  Church  is  concerned."  Is 
some  one  sa^-ing  this  about  us  ? 

The  supreme  needs  of  the  times  are  revival  triumphs  and  missionary 
victories.  While  maintaining,  if  the  need  arises,  religious  principles  at 
the  polls,  American  Christians  must  remember  that  true  reforms  start 
with  the  individual,  and  that  the  most  reliable  voters  will  be  men 
regenerated  by  the  Holy  Ghost  and  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ. 
The  sure  way  to  political  purity  and  national  righteousness  is  that  which 
leads  to  the  Cross  of  Christ. 

Dr.  J.  E.  Perry  then  made  the  clo.sing  address  on 
Dedicating  Oi'rselves  to  the  Service  of  the  Future. 

The  evangelist  describes  a  most  magnificent  event  in  Bible  story  when 
he  relates  the  transfiguration  of  our  Lord,  and  tells  us  of  the  heavenly 
voice  which  said,  "This  is  mj'  beloved  Son,  hear  him." — Luke  9:35. 
Here  we  do  not  now  .stand  with  Moses  on  Mount  Pisgah,  nor  view  Elijah 
translated,  nor  our  Lord  ascending.  Here  we  do  not  look  on  friends 
taken  from  life  through  the  gates  of  Heaven,  but  Heaven  coming  down  to 
earth.  The  past  comes  to  talk  with  the  present  of  the  future.  We  behold 
the  glory  of  Christ,  and  a  revelation  of  Himself,  and  a  confirmation  of 
His  words,  and  an  assertion  of  His  authority.  The  disciples  would  hold 
on  to  the  past.  It  was  a  delight  to  them,  and  they  said,  "  Let  us  build 
for  it,  let  us  throw  it  around  the  present."  But  not  so  with  Christ  ;  He 
was  a  man  of  the  future.  The  Gospel  of  Christ  is  a  message  of  the  future. 
The  word  of  the  Church  is,  "Forgetting  the  things  that  are  behind,  I 
press  forward." 

We  have  held  our  tri-jubilee.  Here  Heaven  has  come  down  to  many  of 
us.  You  have  talked  in  spirit  with  the  men  of  b\-gone  years.  You  have 
seen  them  in  the  church  service  and  work,  and  in  the  Sunday  school. 
You  have  mentioned  the  names  of  Allen  and  Rue  and  Mount  and  many 
others.  Who  of  you  who  knew  these  men  and  lived  in  those  days  has 
not  said  "Let  us  here  build  a  tabernacle  and  commemorate  the  past." 
The  first  impulse  when  the  heart  is  full  and  the  vision  is  dazed  is  to  bring 
the  past  to  be  the  present,  and  too  often  perhaps  the  cry  of  the  heart  is 
"Oh,  for  the  touch  of  a  vanished  hand  and  the  sound  of  a  voice  that  is 
still." 

Thus  the  di.sciples  felt,  but  this  was  not  the  word  of  Christ.  Je.sus 
threw  the  present  into  the  future.  From  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration 
he  saw  Calvary,     Instead  of  the  tabernacle  for  the  past,  He  saw  the  cross 


io6 

of  the  future.  It  has  been  said  that  the  transfiguration  marked  the  end 
and  seal  of  the  Galillean  ministry  and  opened  the  Passion  week.  Out  of 
this  experience  came  the  voice  of  God,  telling  the  apo.stles  of  the  new  dis- 
pensation and  turning  them  away  from  the  prophets  of  the  past  and  its 
history  to  the  beloved  Son  of  God,  the  Word  of  the  new  days  that  were 
dawning  upon  the  world. 

This  vision  should  be  ours  if  this  jubilee  is  to  be  of  profit  and  power  in 
the  future  of  our  church.  We  now  mark  a  limit  and  begin  a  new  era. 
The  history  of  this  church  is  written  to  this  period,  and  now  a  new  hisiory 
begins.  The  power  of  the  future  is  not  the  method  in  teaching  and  cus- 
toms and  habits  of  the  old  days,  but  the  power  is  the  same  power  that 
they  had.  The  presence  of  the  Son  of  God  and  the  same  message  comes 
to  us  now  that  came  to  the  disciples  on  the  mount,  "  Hear  Him."  We 
should  now  listen  to  that  voice  and  catch  the  message  which  he  gave  to 
the  disciples  at  that  time. 

Just  preceding  and  following  this  instance  were  uttered  some  of  the 
most  vital  and  startling  truths  ever  spoken  by  Christ.  He  has  spoken  of 
the  fact  that  He  is  a  suffering  Christ.  The  law  of  the  life  of  the  soul  is 
the  same  as  that  of  the  seed.  He  has  asked  the  startling  question, 
"  What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  him- 
self.^" Against  these  words  their  despondent  spirits  rebelled,  and  they 
tried  to  persuade  Him  from  His  purpose.  They  come  down  from  the 
mountain  and  find  their  work  in  the  valley.  To-day  we  must  find  our 
work  not  here  in  the  grand  review  of  our  past  history,  but  in  the  valley 
of  the  present.  To-day  are  brought  to  the  church  for  solution  questions 
social  as  well  as  religious.  All  of  these  questions  grow  out  of  the  dangers 
that  are  threatening  the  life  of  the  church.  The  world  mocks  and  the 
church  quakes  and  asks  the  question,  "  Why  can  not  we  cast  him  out  ?  " 
The  work  of  our  church  to-day  is,  if  possible,  greater  than  the  work  of 
those  who  began  the  church  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  We  are 
living  in  an  age  on  ages  telling.  To  direct  us  in  carrying  forward  this 
work  we  have  this  word  of  Christ  and  the  voice  of  God,  saying  "Hear 
Him." 

The  first  word  spoken  at  this  time  was  concerning  the  suffering  Christ 
and  the  law  of  denial  of  self  for  the  disciple.  The  wa}-  opened  up  before 
the  disciples  was  the  way  of  Christ.  The  second  word  spoken  to  the  de- 
spairing father  was  "  Bring  him  to  me."  To  us  this  same  message  comes. 
The  world  that  is  lying  about  us  is  to  be  brought  by  us  to  Christ.  This 
is  to  be  done  by  personal  contact  with  Christ  and  by  personal  work  for 
the  individual.  For  this  work  is  needed  the  consecration  of  one's  self 
and  living  sympathy  with  the  world.  Neither  the  elder  brother  in  the 
father's  field,  or  the  prodigal  son  while  spending  his  patrimony,  could 
bring  the  boy  to  his  home.  In  this  time  we  need  better  facilities  for 
church  work.  Once,  in  order  to  bring  a  man  to  Christ,  they  let  him  down 
through  the  roof.  We  cannot  expect  to  win  the  men  of  our  town  if  the 
church  is  open  but  once  a  week  and  places  of  sin  are  open  both  night  and 
day.  The  third  word  of  this  message  is  that  nothing  is  impossible  to 
him  that  believeth.  How  much  we  need  to  have  this  truth  sounded  into 
our  souls.     When  we  consider  the  questions  which  the  church  must  solve 


I07 

to-day,  one  exclaims  "  Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things  ?  "  Is  it  possible 
for  us  in  our  community  to  overcome  the  evil  of  the  liquor  traffic,  to 
purify  our  social  life,  to  hold  inviolate  the  Lord's  day  ?  To  everyone 
asking  this  question  the  reply  comes  "All  things  are  possible."  The 
lyOrd's  day  and  social  life  and  the  liquor  traffic  are  all  within  the  power 
of  the  Christian  churches  of  this  community.  We  look  back  to  the 
earlier  history  of  this  community  and  see  that  members  of  the  chvirch  at 
that  time  owned  hotels,  and  we  wonder.  But  the  words  might  be  well 
said  of  us,  "  Ye  are  worse  than  your  fathers,  for  they  killed  the  prophets 
and  ye  build  their  sepulchers."  By  indifference  and  careless  living,  and 
in  a  few  instances  by  active  interest,  these  evils  are  supported  by  Chris- 
tian people. 

The  time  is  at  hand  when  the  church  should  be  able  to  do  as  Christ  did 
to  the  doubting  father,  and  fling  back  into  the  face  of  the  world  the  word 
of  doubt  when  it  says  "  If  thou  canst."  It  is  a  time  when  the  Christian 
churches  of  this  community  should  be  able  to  stand  forth  firm  and  strong, 
and  say,  with  reference  to  all  these  great  evils,  '"It  is  possible  for  these 
things  to  be  overcome."  Shall  not  the  delightful  experiences  through 
which  we  have  been  passing,  and  the  sacred  memory  of  those  who  have 
toiled  so  faithfully  and  well  in  this  place,  and  the  message  of  our  Lord — 
shall  not  all  these  move  us  all  to  a  most  earnest  effort  in  advancing  the 
cause  of  our  Lord  in  this  place.  May  we  so  build  on  the  record  which  we 
now  have  that  in  the  near  future  this  church  shall  be  well  equipped  with 
every  facility  for  prosecuting  the  work  which  belongs  to  us  in  this  com- 
munity, and  may  we  in  the  coming  years  be  as  faithful  to  do  our  work  as 
the  men  and  women  who  toiled  here  in  the  years  that  are  gone. 

Dr.  Eaches  added  a  few  word.s  emphasizing  the  lessons  of  the 
hour,  and  dismissed  the  congregation  after  singing 

"  Praise  the  Lord,  ye  heavens  adore  him." 

"Now  to  the  King  eternal,  the  incorruptible,  invisible,'  the  only 
God,  be  honor  and  glory  forever  and  ever,  Amen." 


io8 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

Pastor — O.  P.  Eaches. 

Treasurer — John  Jemison. 

Clerk— Charles  E.  Stults. 

Treasurer  of  Helping  Fund — D.  W.  Perrine. 

Treasurer  of  Benevolent  Funds — E.  H.  Savige,  Jr. 

Treasurer  of  Livingstone  Home  and  Hunt  Funds— Jasper  Hutchinson. 

Financial  Secretary' — D.  H.  Cunningham. 

Assistant— C.  E.  Stults. 

DEACONS. 


John  E.  Allen, 

Joseph  D.  Chamberlain, 

Alexander  Mason, 

Mrs.  A.  E.  Chamberlain, 

Mrs.  D.  W.  Perrine. 


Thomas  M.  De}-, 
Forman  Hutchinson, 
John  Jemison, 
Mrs.  M.  M.  Job, 


ASSISTANTS  TO  THE  DEACONS. 


Mrs.  M.  E.  Hoagland, 
Miss  A.  N.  Silvers, 
Mrs.  Forman  Hutchin.son, 
Mrs.  Lizzie  Van  Nest, 
Mrs.  Alexander  Mason, 


Mrs.  Alexander  Savage, 
Mrs.  Jasper  Hutchinson, 
Mrs.  \\  D.  Van  Ne.st, 
Mrs.  Thomas  M.  Dey, 
C.  Bond  Cole. 


TRUSTEES. 


Jasper  Hutchinson,  President  of  the  Board. 


W.  P.  Forman,  Secretar}-. 
D.  H.  Cunningham, 
L.  C.  Mount, 
T.  L.  Hermance. 
Albert  Chamberlain, 
Joseph  D.  Chamberlain, 
L.  H.  Perrine, 
Jacob  Stults, 


R.  H.  Ely, 

W.  N.  Cunningham, 

Alexander  Mason, 

W.  T.  Hutchinson, 

S.  B.  Mount, 

R.  R.  Thomas. 


TRrSTKlvS  AND  CHIRCH   CLHRK.    1S95. 


I09 

OFFICERS  OF  THE  WOMAN'S  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY. 

President— Mrs.  G.  W.  Clark. 
Vice-President  — Mrs.  J.  M.  Eaches. 
Secretary — Miss  Bertha  R.  Clark. 
Treasurer — ]\Irs.  T.  L.  Hermance. 

FARTHER  LIGHTS  SOCIETY. 

President — Miss  Ada  Hutchinson. 

Vice-Presidents — Misses  B.  R.  Clark,  Ida  Hoagland,  Grace  Clevenger, 
Mrs.  Eva  Schlottman. 
Secretarj' — Miss  Jennie  Cole. 
Treasurer — Miss  Sadie  Ayres. 

LADIES'   AID  SOCIETY. 

President— Mrs.  M.  M.  Job. 

Vice  President — Miss  A.  N.  Silvers. 

Secretary  and  Treasurer — Miss  Susie  A.  Dey. 

ENDEAVOR  SOCIETY. 

President — Miss  Tillie  Van  Nest. 
Vice-President — John  Lingernian. 
Secretary — Charles  Weller. 
Treasurer— Clarence  Mount. 
Corresponding  Secretar\- — C.  B.  Cole. 

JUNIOR  ENDEAVOR  vSOCIETY. 

Superintendent — Mi.ss  Grace  Clevenger. 
Assi.stants — Misses  Tillie  Van  Nest,  Ida  Hoagland. 
President — Erna  Hoagland. 
Vice-President — ^Jonah  Dey. 
Secretary — Edith  Eaches. 
Treasurer — Karl  Perry. 

YOUNG  MEN'S  LEAGUE. 

Director — Philip  F.  Botzong. 
President — Logan  Clevenger. 
Vice-President— Joseph  Johnson . 
Secretary — Arthur  Dennis. 
Treasurer — Garfield  Chamberlain. 


no 

BOYS'  MISSION  BAND. 

Director — Mrs.  J.  M.  Eaches. 
President — Voorhees  Dillatash. 
Vice  President — James  Ryan. 
Treasurer — Harry  Stults. 
Secretary — Irving  Lewis. 

LITTLE  HELPERS'  MISSION  BAND. 
Director— Mrs.  J.  E.  Perry. 

THE  BIBLE  SCHOOL. 

Superintendent — ^John  E.  Allen. 

Assistant — Charles  B.  Cole. 

Secretaries— Joseph  Cole,  Hiram  Van  Nest. 

Librarians — C.  H.  Pembrook,  E.  H.  Savige,  Jr, 

Pianists — Mrs.  Eva  Schlottman,  Miss  Medora  Smith 

TEACHERS  IN  THE  PRIMARY  DEPARTMENT. 
Mrs.  M.  M.  Job,  Mrs.  Lillie  Reed. 

TEACHERS  IN  THE  MAIN  SCHOOL. 


Mrs.  Laura  D.  Allen, 
Mrs.  J.  A.  Clevenger, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Dey, 
Mrs.  J.  M.  Eaches, 
Mrs.  J.  E.  Perry, 
Mrs.  Sadie  Perrine, 
Mrs.  Eva  Schlottman, 
Miss  Grace  Clevenger, 
Miss  Belle  Chamberlain, 
J.  A.  Hurley, 
P.  F.  Botzong, 


Miss  A.  V.  Hutchinson, 
Miss  M.  A.  Hutchinson, 
Miss  Jennie  Hutchinson, 
Miss  Medora  Smith, 
Miss  Tillie  Van  Nest, 
Miss  Emma  WiLson, 
Miss  Sadie  H.  Ayres, 
Miss  Anna  B.  Job. 
J.  D.  Chamberlain, 
John  Jemison, 
O.  P.  Eaches. 


I II 


MEMBERS  OF  THE  CHURCH,   NOVEMBER  ist,    1895. 


John  E.  Allen, 

Mrs.  Laura  S.  Alien, 

Elmer  E.  Anderson, 

Mrs.  Lillie  Anderson, 

A.  R.  Anderson, 

Mrs.  May  Reed  Anderson, 

John  .Anderson, 

Mrs.  Mar}'  Anderson, 

Mrs.  Allie  S.  Anderson, 

Asher  Applegate, 

Mrs.  Maggie  Applegate, 

Cornelia  Applegate, 

Mrs.  Adelaide  E.  Applegate, 

Mrs  Jennie  Applegate, 

Amy  Applegate, 

Ada  Applegate, 

Mrs.  Eavinia  Applegate, 

Edward  Applegate, 

Thomas  Applegate, 

Wilson  G.  Applegate, 

Mrs.  Enoch  Applegate, 

Mrs.  Minnie  B.  Appleget, 

Mrs.  Addie  Ayers, 

Katie  Ayers, 

Sadie  Avers, 

Samuel  H.  Ayers. 

Mrs.  Mary  E.  Barker, 

Mrs.  Lorena  Wilson  Barcla}' 

Mrs.  Emmaline  Bergen, 

Mary  E.  Bergen, 

Sarah  Bergen, 

John  Bergen, 

Hannah  \'.  Bergen, 

John  Berrian, 

Miles  Best, 

Mrs.  Abbie  Black  well, 

Mrs.  Jennie  C.  Black, 

Eelix  Bandel, 

Philip  E.  Botzong, 

Mrs.  Sadie  P.  Botzong, 

Albert  Bowers, 

Mrs.  L.  Johnston  Brandt, 

Remembrance  Bresnahan, 

Mamie  Bresnahan, 

Mrs.  Catharine  Brown, 


L^'dia  A.  Brown. 

Mrs.  Lida  Bryan, 

Mrs.  Mamie  Haviland  Burroughs, 

Samuel  Butcher, 

Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Butcher, 

John  Butcher, 

William  Butcher, 

Howard  J.  Butcher. 

Laura  Camp, 

Anna  Carman, 

Mrs.  Sarah  H.  Carman, 

Mrs.  Ann  Chamberlain, 

Joseph  D.  Chamberlain, 

Mrs.  Margaret  Chamberlain, 

Melville  P.  Chamberlain, 

Nettie  P.  Chamberlain, 

Lsabelle  Chamberlain, 

Albert  Chamberlain, 

Mrs    Emma  M.  Chamberlain, 

Lizzie  Chamberlain, 

Abijah  E-  Chamberlain, 

Mrs    Emmeline  S.  Chamberlain, 

Isaac  S.  Chamberlain, 

Grace  Chamberlain, 

Henry  P.  Chamberlain, 

Mrs.  Carrie  W.  Chamberlain, 

Mrs.  Josephine  Chamberlain, 

John  H.  Chilton, 

Rev.  George  W.  Clark, 

Mrs.  Susan  Fish  Clark, 

Bertha  Rebecca  Clark, 

Lillie  B.  Clark, 

Mrs.  Anna  Danser  Clark, 

J    A.  Clevenger, 

Mrs.  Julia  G.  Clevenger, 

Grace  Clevenger, 

Logan  Clevenger, 

Mrs.  Laura  Smith  Clowe, 

David  Cole, 

Mrs.  Marv  Gordon  Cole, 

Mrs.  Mati'ldaJ.  Cole, 

Charles  B.  Cole, 

INIrs.  Phebe  Cox  Cole, 

Jennie  Cole, 

Joseph  J.  Cole, 


Joseph  Coleman, 

Mrs.  Mary  E.  Coleman, 

William  Coleman, 

Mrs.  Sarah  Ann  Coleman, 

Mrs.  Sarah  Colver, 

Frank  Compton. 

Mrs.  Frank  Compton, 

Tobias  Compton, 

Mrs.  Emma  Compton, 

Mrs.  Lillian  Robbins  Conover, 

Rachel  Cottrell, 

Georg-e  Cottrell, 

Hannah  Cottrell, 

Laura  Cottrell, 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Coward, 

Charles  E.  Craig, 

Mrs.  Sarah  Anderson  Craig, 

Mrs.  Emma  Riemer  Crater, 

Edward  K.  Cresse}', 

]\Irs.  Emily  Cressey, 

Samuel  Croshaw, 

Mrs.  Samuel  Croshaw, 

Henr}'  Croshaw, 

Mrs.  Mary  E.  Croshaw, 

Charles  Croshaw, 

Eva  Croshaw, 

Daniel  P.  Croshaw, 

Mrs.  Hannah  Cubberly, 

vSamuel  T.  Cubberl}', 

Mrs.  Carrie  Barclay  Ciibberl}', 

Mrs.  Susan  Cunningham, 

D.  H.  Cunningham, 
W.  N.  Cunningham, 

Mrs.  Hattie  M.  Cunningham, 

Rezeau  Cunningham, 

Mrs.  Anna  B.  Cunningham, 

E.  T.  Cunningham, 

Mrs.  Lavinia  J.  Cunningham, 

Mrs.  Ellen  A.  Davison, 
Grace  Davison, 
Laura  Davison, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Dennis, 
Emma  Dennis, 
Susan  A.  Dey, 
Thomas  M.  Dey, 
Mrs.  Catherine  Dey, 
Cora  Dey, 
Ruth  Dey, 


Charles  W.  Dey, 
Luella  Dey, 
Jones  Dev, 
John  W    Dillatash, 
Mrs.  Margaret  Dillatash, 
Voorhees  Dillatash, 
Mrs.  Amanda  Dillatash, 
]\Irs.  Rachel  A.  Dilts, 
Henry  Disbrow, 
Mrs.  Henry  Disbrow, 
William  Dolton, 
William  Donnell, 
Mrs.  William  Donnell, 
J.  Addison  Donnell, 
Amanda  Donnell, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Duncan, 

Rev.  Owen  P.  Eaches, 

Mrs.  Jennie  Mount  Eaches, 

Louise  Earl}-, 

Mrs.  Ursula  Early, 

John  Filers, 

Mrs.  Sarah  D.  Filers, 

Herman  Filers, 

Aaron  EI3', 

Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Ely, 

Mrs.  Cornelia  Ely, 

Richard  H.  Ely, 

Samuel  B.  Ely, 

Eva  Ely, 

Mrs.  S.  R.  Ely, 

Mrs.  Jennie  Ely, 

Mrs.  Julia  A.  Ely, 

Mrs.  Sarah  Cottrell  Ely, 

Mrs.  Mary  E.  English, 

Mrs.  Sallie  C.  Embley, 

Mrs.  Mary  Gordon  Everett, 

John  Ewart, 

Mrs.  Amanda  Ewart, 

James  Ewart, 

Mrs.  Sarah  Ewart, 

Edward  Fanshawe, 

Mrs.  Lizzie  B.  Fanshawe, 

Mary  Fanshawe, 

Mrs.  Sadie  A.  Field, 

Mrs.  May  Miller  Fones, 

John  H.  Ford, 

Mrs.  Delilah  O.  Ford, 

Archibald  Forman, 


Mrs.  lyaniatta  P'ornian, 
William  P.  Formati, 
Robert  Foster, 
Mrs.  E.  M.  Fowler, 

Charles  A.  George, 

Mrs.  Addie  Cottrell  (iroeiidyke, 

Ann  Goldy, 

Margaret  troldy, 

Mrs.  Tillie  Ely  Gordon, 

Mrs.  Mary  \\  Gordon, 

Mrs.  Carrie  P.  Ciordon, 

Fornian  Gordon, 

Mrs.  Margaret  Gordon, 

John  Gordon, 

Mrs.  Maggie  Donnel  Gordon, 

Mrs.  Sarah  H.  (Gordon, 

Harry  (iordon, 

Mrs.  Rebecca  M.  Gravatt, 

Mrs.  Jane  Gravatt, 

(iertrude  Gravatt. 

Mrs.  Ehnira  Haniler, 

Maggie  Haniler, 

PZlla  Haniler, 

Joseph  Ha  mm  el, 

Mrs.  David  Hammel, 

Mrs.  Mary  H.  Hampton, 

Watson  Hancock, 

Barzillai  Hankins, 

Mrs.  Mary  W.  Hankins, 

John  E.  Harden, 

Mrs.  Jennie  M.  Harden, 

Walter  P.  Harden, 

P^dvvin  T.  Harden, 

Mrs.  Jennie  R.  Harden, 

Pvinnia  Hare, 

Mrs.  Lettice  Hartshorne, 

Mrs.  Emma  Haviland, 

Theodore  L.  Hermance, 

Mrs.  Maggie  O.  Hermance, 

W'illiam  O.  Hermance, 

David  Hill, 

Mrs.  IVfarv  E.  Hoagland, 

D.  P.  Hoagland, 

Ida  Hoagland, 

Lena  Hoagland, 

Erna  Hoagland, 

Harry  Holmes, 

George  Horner, 


"3 

lyizzie  Horner, 

Lnella  Horner, 

Harry  Horner, 

Lida  Pnllen  Howell, 

William  H.  Hulse, 

Mrs    Emma  M.  Hulse, 

Mrs.  Mary  Hulse, 

Mrs.  James  Hulse, 

Jasper  Hutchinson, 

Mrs.  Susan  Hutchin.son, 

Jennie  Hntchinson, 

Mary  A.  Hntchinson, 

James  Hutchinson, 

T.  Ely  Hutchinson, 

Mrs.  Adaline  Hutchinson, 

Ada  Hutchinson, 

Willie  Hntchinson, 

F"onnan  Hutchinson, 

Mrs.  Sarah  C.  Hutchinson, 

Mrs.  Jennie  Cxordon  Hutchinson, 

(rcorge  Hutchinson, 

William  J.  Hutchinson, 

Mrs.  Mary  A.  Hutchinson, 

Mrs.  Catharine  Hulse  Hutchinson, 

Mrs.  Harr}'  Hutchinson, 

Mrs.  Cornelia  P.  Hutchinson, 

Mrs.  Mary  Gordon  Hutchinson. 

Paul  Indermiiller, 

Mrs.  Friede  S.  Indermiiller, 

Lizzie  Indermiiller. 

Mrs.  Adaline  P.  Jackson, 

John  Jemison, 

Mrs.  F^lizabeth  Jemison, 

Mrs.  Isabella  Jemison, 

Mrs.  M.  M.  Job, 

Anna  B.  Job, 

Mrs.  Rachel  H.  Johnes, 

T.  Harr}'  Johnes, 

Mrs.  vSusan  Johnes, 

Mrs.  George  John.son, 

James  Johnson, 

Joseph  Johnson, 

Julia  Johnson, 

Clara  Johnson, 

Jennie  Johnson, 

Mrs.  Ida  \'an  Cleaf  Johnson. 

Mrs.  Isabelle  Kelley, 

Frank  W^  Kellev. 


Jasper  T.  Laird, 

Mrs.  Lizzie  R.  Laird, 

James  Laird, 

Mrs.  Gertrude  Laird, 

Frank  Lamb, 

Mrs.  Fairy  P.  Legget, 

William  Lewis, 

Mrs.  Anna  Lewis, 

John  Lewis, 

Mrs.  Josephine  A.  Lewis, 

John  Lingerman, 

Mrs.  Emma  Ivins  Lingerman, 

Hugh  B.  Lokerson, 

Mrs.  Emma  T.  Lokerson, 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Lowinger, 

Mary  Maple, 
Anna  Mariner, 
James  C  Marlott, 
Alexander  Mason, 
Mrs.  Margaret  Mason, 
Emma  Mason, 
Richard  Mason, 
Charles  Mason, 
Mrs.  Gertrude  Mason, 
Mrs.  Rachel  R.  Masterson, 
Mrs.  Edward  INIcCue, 
Mrs.  Lavinia  S.  Meeker, 
Wellington  J.  Mickle, 
Mrs.  Emma  Mickle, 
Mrs.  Mary  A.  Middleton, 
Mrs.  Malvina  Miller, 
Mrs.  Anna  Miller, 
Madge  Miller. 
Mrs.  Phebe  Morris, 
Acsah  Mount, 
Kate  E.  Mount, 
Harriet  Mount, 
William  T.  Mount, 
Mrs.  Catharine  Mount, 
Clarence  Mount, 
Perrine  Mount, 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Mount, 
Jones  Mount, 
Lewis  C.  Mount, 
Hannah  S.  Mount, 
Samuel  B.  Mount, 
Mrs.  Anna  Mount, 

Mrs.  Matilda  H.  Norris, 


114 

James  C.  Norris, 
Mrs.  George  Norris, 

Mrs.  Phebe  Ann  Okerson, 
Lydia  Okerson, 
Albert  Okerson, 

Omar  Palmer, 

Mrs.  Lizzie  Pullen  Palmer, 

Mrs.  vSarah  S.  Palmer. 

Sadie  Pearce. 

Charles  H.  Pembrook, 

Mrs.  Matilda  Pembrook, 

Alfred  D.  Pembrook, 

Sarah  Perdun. 

Mrs.  Isabella  Perrine, 

Lewis  H.  Perrine, 

Mrs.  Mattie  H.  Perrine, 

Mrs.  Lizzie  Chamberlain  Perrine, 

William  Perrine, 

Lizzie  Perrine, 

Addison  Perrine, 

Daniel  W.  Perrine, 

Mrs.  Mary  E    Perrine. 

Owen  E.  Perrine, 

Peter  \'.  Perrine. 

Mrs.  Kate  I\L  Perrine. 

Mrs.  Frances  E.  Perrine, 

Mrs.  Sarah  Conover  Perrine. 

Jacob  Perrine. 

Rev.  Joseph  E.  Perry. 

Mrs.  May  G.  Perry.' 

Mrs.  Viola  Tantum  Petty, 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Pickering. 

Howard  Pickering. 

Sallie  Pickering. 

Ma}'  Pickering. 

Mrs.  John  Polhemus, 

Phineas  Potter. 

Mrs.  Henrietta  Potter. 

IMrs.  Mary  A.  Potter, 

Mrs.  Eliza  Pullen, 

Judson  Pullen, 

Newell  Pullen, 

Mrs.  Marv  A.  Pullen, 

Johnson  Pullen, 

Mrs.  Charlotte  A.  Pullen, 

J.  Frank  Pullen, 

INIrs.  Fannie  E.  Pullen, 


Frank  Pullen, 
Charles  A.  Pull  en, 
Mrs.  Hattie  M.  Pullen, 
Emerson  Pullen, 
Mrs.  Ella  S.  Pullen, 
Clarence  Pullen, 
Mrs.  Ida  H.  Pullen, 
Mrs.  Margaret  F.  Pullen, 
Mrs.  INIarv  Donnel  Pullen, 
Mrs.  Lloyd  W.  Pullen, 
Willard  C.  Pullen, 
Mrs.  Ida  M.  Pullen, 
Mrs.  Melvina  Pullen, 

Thomas  Quinton, 
Mrs.  Rosalie  Quinton, 

Mrs.  Mar}-  V.  Reed, 

Benjamin  H.  Reed, 

Mrs.  Lillie  Reed, 

Julia  Reed, 

Bert  Reed, 

Ada  Reed, 

Mrs.  Mary  S.  Richardson. 

Mrs.  Martha  J.  Riemer, 

Frank  Riemer, 

Mrs.  Tillie  M.  Riggs, 

Henr3'  W.  Robbins, 

Mrs.  Annie  A.  Robbins, 

Asher  Robbins, 

Eleanor  Robbins, 

James  Robbins, 

Mrs.  Mar\'  Robbins, 

James  Robbins,  Jr., 

Milnor  Robbins, 

Mrs.  Anna  Robbins, 

Mrs.  Mary  J.  Robbins, 

Mrs.  Mary  Croshaw  Robbins, 

(ieorge  Robbins, 

Mrs.  Ida  V.  Robbins, 

Ivibbie  Rodell. 

Humphrey  Rogers, 

Mrs.  Humphrey  Rogers, 

Ella  Rogers, 

(xcorge  Rogers, 

Mrs.  Lillie  Okerson  Rogers, 

Ida  Rogers, 

Lewis  Rogers, 

Mrs.  Lavinia  Johnson  Rogers, 

Mrs.  Anna  Cubberly  Rogers, 


115 

Eugene  Roszel, 
Mrs.  Lizzie  Roszel, 
El  wood  Rue, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Rue, 
Anna  Rue, 
Mrs.  Ellen  Rue, 
Mrs.  Amanda  R\an, 

Alexander  Savage, 

Mrs.  Sarah  Savage, 

Edward  H.  Savige,  Jr., 

Mrs.  Eva  K.  Schlottman, 

Mrs.  Lillie  A.  Scott, 

Harry  Scott, 

Mrs.  Ella  D.  Selover, 

Mrs.  Fvlizabeth  R.  Shangle, 

Thomas  Shotwell, 

Mrs.  Thomas  Shotwell, 

Jediah  Shotwell, 

Lillian  Shotwell, 

Mrs.  Martha  Shotwell, 

Almira  Silvers, 

Joseph  H.  Smith, 

Charles  M.  Smith, 

Mrs.  Smith, 

Leonard  Smith, 

Mrs.  Belle  D.  Smith, 

Emmaline  Smith, 

Mrs.  Adaline  M.  Snedeker, 

Mrs.  Helen  Snedeker, 

Enoch  South, 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  M.  South, 

Mrs.  Anna  Shotwell  Stinson, 

Charles  Stockton, 

Mrs.  Marv  Stockton, 

Richard  M.  Stockton, 

George  Stout, 

James  Stout, 

Jacob  H.  Stults, 

Mrs.  Lsabella  A.  Stults, 

Charles  E.  Stults, 

Mrs.  Addie  B.  Stults, 

Mrs.  Madora  Smith  Stults, 

Matthew  P,  Sutphen, 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Sutphen, 

Mrs.  Maggie  Tantura,  » 

Mrs.  LN'dia  D.  Taj-lor, 
Mary  A.  Taylor, 
Richard  R.  Thomas,  , 


ii6 


Mrs.  Sarah  Thomas, 

Bert  D.  Thomas, 

Mrs.  Emmaline  Thompson, 

Mrs.  Eunice  Thompson, 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  R.  Tracey, 

Mina  Trace}', 

Josie  Tracey, 

James  Trace j'. 

Amanda  Trout, 

Rev.  William  C.  Ulyat, 

Mrs.  Mary  L.  Ulyat, 

Clement  Updike, 

George  Updike, 

Mrs.  Anna  M.  Updike, 

Forman  Updike, 

Mrs.  Bertha  Dey  Updike, 

Mrs.  Helen  Van  Cleaf, 
Harry  Van  Cleaf, 
Mrs.  Ora  V.  Vandervere, 
Mrs.  Catharine  Vanderberg, 
Mrs.  Rebecca  I.  Vandyke, 
Vincent  D.  Van  Nest, 
Mrs.  Margaret  Van  Nest, 
Til  lie  Van  Nest, 


Hiram  M.  \'an  Nest, 
Mrs.  Belle  P.  Van  Nest, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Van  Nest, 
Mrs.  Rachel  Voorhees, 
Ali^e  W.  Vose, 

Flora  Wallace, 

Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Walton, 

Allen  Walton, 

Mrs.  John  W^lch, 

Charles  H.  Weller, 

Harry  Weller, 

Mrs.  Emma  M.  White, 

Mrs.  Adaline  D.  Wells, 

Allen  Wilson, 

Mrs.  Anna  Wilson, 

L\-dia  Wilson, 

Emma  Wilson, 

Anthony  Wilson, 

Mrs.  Ellen  C.  Wilson, 

Mrs.  Amy  T.  Worden, 

W.  W.  Wycoff. 

Mrs.  Am}'  Chamberlain  Wright, 

Mrs.  Anna  Mount  Wycoft, 

Zhelasco  ZhilascofiF. 


Whole  number,  November  ist,  524. 


117 
Additions  from  Nove.mhkk  ist,  1895  to  Apkii.  ist,  1S96. 


Lavinia  Applegate, 

Walter  Boyer, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Bowers. 

Lizzie  Cubberly, 
Mabel  Clouser,' 

Ida  Dillatash, 
Miller  Dey, 
Mrs.  Rebecca  Dey, 
Charles  H.  Davison, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Davison, 

Minnie  Emmons, 
John  V.  Ely, 
William  Ely, 
Edith  Eaches, 
Daisy  Ettgen, 
Henry  Engel, 
Elva  Franklin, 

Edward  Harden, 

Gertrude  Hartshorn, 

Mrs.  Lizzie  Hartman, 

William  T.  Hiitchinson, 

Mrs.  Catharine  L.  Hutchinson, 

Lulu  Hare, 

Ada  Hulse, 

Frank  V.  Jemison, 
Mrs.  Lizzie  P.  Jemison, 


William  Kirbv, 
Mrs.  Ella  Kirby, 

Luella  Lewis, 
Ellen  Lewis, 
Irving  Lewis, 
Robert  B.  Lanning, 
Mrs.  Ella  Lanning, 

Charles.  McCue, 

EUvood  Pickering, 
Charles  Pol  hem  us, 
Lillie  Polhemus, 
George  Palmer, 

Ursula  Rogers, 
Harry  Rogers, 

Mrs.  Augusta  E   Savage, 
Preston  H.  Smith, 
Mrs.  Cordelia  R.  Smith. 
William  Sprawl, 
Harr}-  Stults, 
Blanche  Sutphen, 
George  Swinger, 
Mrs.  Jennie  P.  Swinger. 

Pearl  Thompson, 
Lizzie  Tantum, 

Luella  Whitlock. 


If  any  name  has  been  omitted  in  these  lists,  it  has  occurred 
through  oversight. 


IlS' 


I]MIDKX. 


Allen,  Enoch 55 

Allen,  Mr.  J.  E.,  address  by,  .        93 
Anniversary    Hymn,   by  Rev. 

F.  Denison 91 

Anniversary  Ode,   by   Rev.  S. 

Gifford  Nelson,  L.  H.  D.,    .        92 
Anniversar}-     of    Dr.     O.     P. 
Eaches'  pastorate,  Thetvven 

ty-fifth 2 

Committee  of, 2 

Program  of,      3 

Re.solutions    of    Trustees 

and  Deacons, 4 

Letters  '  from     Prominent 

Brethren 5 

From  l^rof.  Enoch  Per- 

rine, 17 

Addresses 5-16 

Presentation  of  Silver  bv 

Dr.  G.  W.  Clark.  .  .  '.  17 
Presentation    of  Carriage 

by  Dr.  J.  E.  Perry,  .  .  19 
Dr.  Eaches'  Response,  .  .  20 
Dr.    Eaches'  Twenty-fifth 

Anniversary'  Discourse,  22 
The      Closing-      Services, 

June  2d,  P.  M 32 

Anniversary    of    the    Baptist 
Church,  One  Hundred  and 

Fiftieth ^,7. 

Committee  of, 33 

Program  of,      3^ 

The  Roll-Call 35,  36 

History  of  the  Church,     37-69 

Addresses 69 

Tri-Jubilee   Hymn,   by  R. 

Lowry,  D.  I) 79 

Unveiling  of  the  Portraits 

of  Former  Pastors,  .  .  iSo 
vSpecial     Sunday  -  school 

Services 93 

Anniversary'    Sermon,    by    (i. 
W.  Clark,  D.  D 95 


Paper  by   Mi.ss  Bertha  K. 

Clark 99 

Special  Junior  Service,    .  102 

.Special  Endeavor  Meeting,  102 

Sunday  Evening  Service,  102 
Paper     by      Mrs.      N.     C. 
Schlottman,     and      Ad 

dresses 103 

Anniversary  Sermon,  'i'he  One 

Hundred  and  Fiftieth,      .    .  93 
Appleget,  Rev.  T.  B.,  Address 

of, 10 

Bacon,  Charles  R 62 

Baptists,  Characteristics  of,  .  S4 
Baptist  Churches,   What  they 

stand  for 70 

Baptists,  New  Jersey-,  Charac 

teristics  of 84-8S 

Baptists  Not  a  Sect,  ....  84 
Baptists  150  Years  -Ago,  .    .      69,  96 

Baptist  Principles,  (irowth  of,  67 
Baptists,     What    They    Have 

Wrought  in    i^o  Years,    .      82-S4 

Barker,  Rev.  E.  M 52 

Barker.  Enoch 93 

Barker,  Mrs.  Mary  E 93 

Baum,  Rev.  H.,  Address  b}-,  .  77 

Baumgardner.  Theodore.         .  62 

Bonham,  Malakiah 60 

Botzojig.  P.  F 93 

Botzong,  Mrs.  P.  P".,     ....  93 

Brown,  Rev.  F.  C,  Address  bv,  70 
Bullock,  Rev.  W.  W  ,  Address 

by 73 

Butterfield,  Rev.  Isaac,    ...  55 

Carman,  Rev.  James 40 

Case,  Rev.  W.  W.,  Address  of,  5 
Chamberlin,  Miss  Luella,  vSolo 

b\- 9 

Chase,  Rev.  Lyman 55 


119 


Christians,   the    Li«-ht   of  the 

World .    .  95 

How 95 

Where  and  for  Whom,    .  96 

I'niversality  of,  .    .        .    .  9S 
Attend     to      the      Inward 

Light 9S 

The   Ages  Looking  I'pon 

I's 99 

Chnrch  Discipline 57 

Ciuirch,    How  to   Enlarge  Its 

Membership, 75 

Chnrch,    How  to   Bnild  it  Up 

Spiritually 76 

Church.  Moulding  the  Future,  S9 
Six  Waj-s  of  Doing  It,         89-91 

Church  Music 65 

Clark,   Miss  Bertha  R.,  Paper 

by 99 

Clark,  Rev.  (V.  W.,  Address  of,  14 

Presentation  Speech  by,  .  17 
One  Hundred  and  Fiftieth 

AnniversarvvSermon  bv,  gs 

Mrs.  G.  W.  Clark,     .    .  ".  lob 

Conklin,  Rev.  J.,  Address  of,  .  7 

Cooper,  John,  .        .            ...  61 

Copeland,  Levi  H 62 

Cox,  Charles 61 

Cunningham,    D.     Hart,    Ad- 
dress by [04 

Deacons 4.  59 

Deaconesses 60 

Dedicating  Ourselves   for  the 

Future 105 

Denison,  Rev.  F.,  Anniversary 

Hvnin  bv 91 

De  Wolf,  Rev.  D.,  Address  of,         8 
Discourse,  Twenty  fifth  Anni- 
versary, the  Pastor's  aim  to 
present  ever\'  man  perfect  in 

Christ 22,  23 

Souls  Won  to  Christ, '  .    .        23 
Christians     Perfected     for 

the  I'pper  Life 24 

Material  Growth  for  Per- 
fecting of  Ciod's  People 
Here 2^ 


Utilizing  New  Agencies 
for  Saving  Men.      .    .    . 

iMission  and  Benevolent 
Work 

New  Conceptions  of  Chris- 
tian and  Church  Life,  . 

A  Backward  Look,     .    .    . 

An  Onward  Look,      ,    .    . 

Eaches,  Rev.  O.  P.,  Eleventh 

Pastor 

Response  at  His  Twenty- 
fifth  Anniversary,  .    .    . 
Twenty-fifth  Anniversarv 

Sermon 

His  Invitation  to  the  Roll- 

Call 

His  History  of  the  Hights- 
town  Baptist  Church,   . 
Endeavor  ,Societv,  Historv  of, 


26 

28 

29 
29 

56 
20 


102 


Fikes,  Rev.  M.  P.,  Address  by,       82 

Galloway,    Rev.    W.    T.,    Ad- 
dress by 13 

Address  by,      71 

Giving,  Growing  bv 7^ 

Crriffith,    Rev.   T.  S..  Twenty- 
fifth    Anniversary   Address,  15 
One  Hundred  and  Fiftieth 
Anniversary  Address,  .  84 
Groom,  Peter 61 

Harvey,  John 61 

Hightstown,   The  Past  Twen- 
ty-five Years 11 

Its  Baptist  Church  at  One 
Time  the  Largest  in  the 

Country 47 

History    of    the    Hightstown 

Baptist  Church 37 

Our    State    and    Country 

When  it  Began t,j 

The  Beginning  of  Baptist 

Churches, 38 

P'ounding  of  the  Hights- 
town Church 38 

Surrounding  Churches,    .        40 


I20 


James  Carman,   the   First 

Pastor 40 

A  Day  of  vSmall  Thin^fs,  .  42 
The  First  Meeting  House 

at  Cranbury, 42 

The  Dark  Period 44 

The  Second  Pastor,  Peter 

Wilson,      44 

The      Second      Meeting  - 

House,     the     F"irst      at 

Hightstovvn 48 

The   Third    Pastor,    John 

Segar 49 

The  Third  Meeting-House,  50 
Fourth    Pastor,     Clarence 

W.  Mulford 50 

F'ifth      Pastor,     (icorge 

Young,       51 

Sixth  Pastor,  J.  B.  Sexton,  ~,2 
Seventh     Pastor,     V,.     M. 

Barker 52 

Fourth  Meeting-House,  .  53 
Eighth     Pastor,     L  e  w  i  s 

vSniith, 5,^ 

Peddie  Institute 54 

Ninth   Pastor,    Isaac    But 

terfield,      55 

Tenth     Pastor,     L  y  m  a  n 

Chase 55 

Eleventh     Pastor,     ().     P. 

Peaches 56 

Parsonages 57 

Discipline  of  the  Church,  57 
f  i  o  V  e  r  n  ni  e  n  t     of     the 

Church,  Ruling  FZlders, 

Deacons ,sS 

Deaconesses 60 

Licensed  Preachers,  ...        60 

.Associations 63 

Beginnings     of    vSunday- 

school  and  Missions,    .        64 

Church  Clerks, 65 

Church  Treasurers,  ...  65 
Sextons  of  the  Church.  .  66 
What    the     Church     Has 

Done 66 

Growth  of  Baptist  Princi- 
ples         67 

What  is  to  Be  Done,      .    .        68 


Howard,  Rev.  J.  L 32,  69 

HuflFnagle,    Rev.    J.,    Address 

by.  •   ■ 

Hunt,  Wilson  G 

Hyatt,  Rev.  J.  H. 

Poem  by 

Hymn,  Tri  Jubilee 

Letter  of  H.  M.  King,  D.  D.,  .  80 

Letter  of  Prof.  Enoch  Perrine,  16 
Letters    at    the    Twenty- fifth 

Anniversary 4 

At  the  One  Hundred  and 

Fiftieth  Anniversary,  .  80 

L'Hommedien,  Rev.  J.  B.,  .    .  62 

Address  by 89 

Little  Helpers'  Mission   Band,  101 

Lowry,  Rev.  R.,  Hymn  b}',    .  79 

iNlason,  Rev.   F).  (i 3i-  3^ 

Men,   What  They  Should  Do  ' 

for  the  Church 104 

Mulford,  Rev.  Clarence  W.,    .  50 
McCiowan,  Alexander,     ...  60 
Members  of  the  Church,   No- 
vember  1st,    1895 Ill 

Added  from  November  ist 
to  April  1st,  1896,  ...       [  17 

NeLson,  Rev.  S.  Gifford,  Anni 

versar\-  Ode  by 92 

New  Jersey  Baptists,  Charac- 
teristics of, 84 

Mutuality 85 

Real  Missionary  Spirit.    .        86 
A  Comprehension  of  F^du- 

cational  Needs 86 

Intelligent    Bible   Knowl- 
edge     .....        87 

New    Testament,    Fidelity    to 
the ".    .        71 

Ode,    One    Hundred   and    Fif- 
tieth Anniversary,     ....  92 

Officers  of  the  Church,         .    .  108 

Of  the  Bible  School,  ...  no 

Of  Boys'  Mission  Band.  ,  i  10 

Of  Fvudeavor  Society,    .    .  109 

Of  F'arther  Lights  Society,  109 


121 


Of  Junior  Endeavor  So- 
ciety,        109 

Of  Ladies'  Aid  Society,   .  109 

Of  Woman's    Missionary 

Society, 109 

Of  Vouno^   Men's  League,  109 


♦Parker,    Rev.   W.    H.   J.,    Ad- 
dress by 

Parsonages 

Peddie  Institute 

Perry,  Rev.  J.  E..  Remarks  by. 
Presentation  Speech  b\',  . 

Address  by,      10 

Poem,  One  Hundred  and  Fif- 
tieth Anniversary 7 

Portraits    of    Former    Pastors 
Unveiled,      ....... 

Providence,   R.   L,   First   Bap 
tist  Church,  Letter  From,  . 


19 


Reese,  David 

Retrospect  and  Prospect, 

Roll-Call,      

Invitation  to 

Rue,  Joshua  E 

Ruling  Fvlders, 


vSexton.  Rev.  J.  B 

Schlipf,  Charles  A 

Schlipf,John, 

Schlipf,  Joseph 

Schlottman,  Mrs,  X.  C,  Paper 

by, 

Segar,  Rev.  John 

Smith,  Rev.   Lewis 

Smith,  Rev.  M.  N 

Addresses  bj- r 


So 


80 

60 

'5 
36 

35 
61 

58 


62 
62 
62 

103 
49 
53 
30 

.76 


Societies  of  the  Church,  .    .    . 

Stockwin,  Arthur  W.,      .    .    . 

vStout,  Mr.  B.  P.,  Solo  by,    .    . 

vStrangers  Within  Our  Oates, 
Caring  F^or 

Sunday  -  school  Superinten- 
dents  


61 
14 


64 


bv 


bv 


Sunday-schools  of  the  Pa.st,    64,  93 


Trustees 

Twenty-live  Years'  Pastorate  : 
Its   Meaning  to  the  Church, 
by  Rev.  W.  W.  Ca.se,    . 
To    the     Association, 

Rev.  J.  Conklin, 
To     State     Missions, 
Rev.  D.   I)e  Wolf,  . 
To    the    Community, 

Rev.  T.  B.  Applegate,  . 
What  Makes  Such  a  Pas- 
torate  Possible,    bv  Dr. 
G.  W.  Clark,    .."... 
Retrospect  and    Prospect, 
by  Rev.  T.  S.  (iriffith.  . 
Fraternal     Greetings,    bv 
Dr.  T.  Tyack,      .    .    .    ^ 
Reminiscence,  bv  Rev.  M. 
N.  Smith,     ."..... 
Congratulations    bv   Rev. 
W.  T.  Galloway,"  .    .    . 
Tvack,  Rev.  T.,  Address  of,    . 


Wilson,  Rev.  Peter 

Woman's  Work  in  the  Church, 

Paper  on 

Young,  Rev.  George 

Young     People,     What    They 
Must  Do  for  the  Church,    . 


14 


13 
1 1 

44 
65 
99 


:El:E^^^^^^'T.,^. 


Page  61,  twentieth  line  from  the  top,  after  the  word  October,  instead 
of  1S70,  read  1887. 


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